Herbst an inspiration for her entire team

BY GEORGE ALBANO
Staff Writer

JEFF GRANIT staff East Brunswick's Meghan Herbst's story is one of perseverance and commitment, as she has overcome a debilitating illness to become one of the Bears' most valuable track and field performers. It was Senior Night for the East Brunswick High School girls track and field team last Tuesday, a special time reserved for the seniors on the squad to reflect back on their scholastic careers as their final season draws to a close.

But perhaps no one on the Bears found it to be more special than Meghan Herbst. She, more than anyone, had a lot to reflect back on when she thought about her four-year journey on the EBHS girls track team.

And that's exactly what it's been, a journey, because no one has had to overcome more adversity, more obstacles, more brick walls in her path the last four seasons than Meghan Herbst.

Yet, there she was on May 16, capturing second place in both the shot put and discus as East Brunswick lost a one-point heartbreaker to Edison, 70-69.

But the outcome and final score didn't matter. Because on this night, Meghan Herbst was the biggest winner just for being out there.

The 17-year-old Herbst was diagnosed as having neurological Lyme disease at the age of 6, a condition that deprived her of participating in her two favorite sports growing up, basketball and softball.

"She was diagnosed with congenital Lyme disease, which means I had it when I was pregnant with her," Meghan's mom, Robyn Herbst, explained. "We didn't know she had it until she was 6, but she had it all that time. That's why it's so bad now. We did not pick it up until it affected her later."

And oh, how it affected her, as arthritis took over her lower joints just about the time Meghan was getting ready to enter East Brunswick High School.

Up until then, she played basketball and softball, and was good enough to make travel teams in both sports. She no doubt would have played both sports in high school, too, had she been healthy.

"She had the arthritis in her knees and ankles, and the pounding was too much," Robyn Herbst said. "She was playing about two years with it. She had to have fluid drained from her knee just to play."

"The arthritis in my leg was getting worse and it just got harder to do a lot of running," Meghan added. "It was a constant pounding on my legs, especially in basketball with all the running up and down the court. It was pretty frustrating.

"So I gave basketball up after the eighth grade, and I gave softball up right about the same time."

But she didn't give up sports. She might have, however, if not for a little prodding by her two older sisters. Cori, a 2003 graduate of East Brunswick, and Laken, a 2004 grad, were both members of the Lady Bears track and field team.

"Meghan had been around track and field because of the other girls, and they kind of persuaded her to do it," her mother pointed out. "They realized how competitive Meghan was, and they knew she was starting to get down a little bit because she was not doing sports anymore. So they got her to go out for the track team."

"My sister, Cori, threw the shot put, and Laken threw both the shot and discus when they were on the team," Meghan, the youngest of four children (brother Rob, a 2001 EBHS graduate, is the oldest), said. "So, I figured I would try it."

It turned out to be a perfect fit, for Meghan and the Bears.

"She found her home in track and field," East Brunswick girls track coach Kevin McEvoy said. "She's the leader of our field events. She throws the shot put, discus and javelin, but really concentrates on the shot and discus. At every one of our dual meets, she's either finished first or second."

"Her upper body strength was still there," Robyn Herbst noted. "The arthritis did not affect that part of her body."

What's more, being able to compete and work out the way she did in track actually helped her battle the disease.

"By increasing your internal body temperature, it helps kill off the Lyme spirochete," said Robyn Herbst, who has become somewhat of an expert on Lyme disease. "It isn't able to survive."

As a result, Meghan was able to step in as a freshman and make an immediate contribution to the girls track program, not only in the spring, but during indoor track season in the winter as well.

And as a senior, she's really made an impact.

"This particular season has been her best," McEvoy said. "She has not missed a beat. We continue to see improvement in her athletic ability.

"There's 27 points in her events, and if she takes first in the shot and second in the discus, there's eight points she gets us just by herself. She's our best and she's always pretty close to being the best at every meet. She scores valuable points for us."

Like she did in a recent meet against rival South Brunswick when she won the discus with a personal-best throw of 105 feet, 7 inches. Her toss of 31 feet, 5 inches in the shot put in that meet was also a career high.

Then at the GMC Championships, Herbst finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 102-6, and 10th in the shot put with a heave of 30 feet, 9 inches.

And before the meet against Edison, Herbst found out she was named East Brunswick High School's Female Athlete of the Week.

Yes, it was quite a week for Meghan Herbst.

But there have been other obstacles she has had to overcome during her four years on the track team. Tremendous obstacles. Like during her sophomore year when she had to be admitted to the hospital with life-threatening blood clots.

"She was in intensive care for seven days," her mother said. "She had blood clots in her arm and chest. We're not really sure what caused it, just that it was a complication of the Lyme disease.

"The blood clot was in her right arm, and she's right-handed, so that kind of set her back," she added. "It happened in October just before winter track. So she had to sit out the winter season, and just started to get her strength back for the spring season."

Then there was this past March when Meghan had to go back into the hospital to treat a bacterial infection in her blood, which was also life threatening.

"Again the doctors said it was from complications of Lyme disease," Robyn Herbst said. "Her immune system was depleted."

As a result, Meghan was almost constantly taking antibiotics intravenously, all the while as she continued practicing and competing.

"We'd make sure the IV was in her left arm," her mother said.

And as if Meghan didn't already have enough to deal with, she missed most of the indoor track and field season this past winter when she broke the thumb on her right hand in a freak accident.

"She was getting ready for the first track meet when she went to open a door," Robyn Herbst explained. "But just as she went to open it, someone kicked the door open from the other side, and it hit her right hand and broke her thumb."

She did, however, come back just in time for the final meet.

"Her cast came off on Friday, and on Monday she threw for the first time," Robyn Herbst recalled. "Then that Friday she took part in a meet at the New Jersey Armory, and she just missed qualifying for the postseason meets by 1 inch."

The hospital stay in March set her back another three weeks, but she finally got back on the track in time for outdoor season.

"It was hard going in and out of the hospital," she said. "I just wanted to get out and get back on the track. I couldn't let the disease get the best of me."

"We were all aware and sensitive to her needs," McEvoy said. "She'd be in and out of the hospital, but we were always willing to be there to work with her and give her whatever she needed, so she could have track and field as an extracurricular activity."

While McEvoy, in his 29th season, is the Bears' head coach, he works mostly with the sprinters and hurdlers. Herbst works more with assistant coach Harry Morris, who handles the field events.

"Coach Morris has been a great coach," Meghan said. "He pushes me as far as I can go. Even when I came out of the hospital he pushed me, but not too hard."

"He's been great, just wonderful," Robyn agreed. "He's been real supportive to her and helped her get through. Both coach Morris and coach McEvoy have been great through everything."

"It was very satisfying for both of us, herself and myself," McEvoy added.

"And for her parents, too. Mom and Dad are at every meet being cheerleaders."

Robyn and Rob Herbst celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, which made Senior Night all the more special at East Brunswick High, where they also graduated.

"When I reflect back on the last four years, it's been a nice self-esteem boost for Meghan," Robyn said after the meet. "It let her see she could do something besides being sick all the time."

"When she first came here, she was a typical freshman," McEvoy added. "She was a very quiet and shy individual. But now she walks around with a lot of confidence. It's nice to see the confidence track and field gave her."

"This year has probably been one of my best years," Meghan added. "I just went out and tried to do the best I could every meet."

With her high school career winding down, Meghan it focusing on the future, as she prepare to move on to Middlesex Community College, and continue her track and field career.

But there's no question Meghan Herbst has left her mark at East Brunswick High School in more ways than one.

"She provided a lot of incentive and leadership to underclassmen kids, especially freshmen and sophomores," McEvoy said of Herbst's inspiration. "We're really going to miss her."