I PMC BECAUSE I HAVE TO:
2021 IS MY 18TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR PARTICIPATING. CANCER DOESN'T REST. NEITHER DO I!!
This year my PMC is in memory of a great man, My mother's husband, and I'm proud to say, my stepdad, Hank Saunders. Hank was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2020 and had surgery just as the pandemic began to take hold. He was doing well until October CT scans revealed the tumor(s) came back. He had been on a clinical trial and other chemotherapies for a few months, but those treatments didn't work. Hank came home from Brigham and Women's hospital in late January 2021. He asked my mother to promise him no more hospitals. Hank was on home hospice for 8 days and died peacefully at home with all of us there. He will be sorely missed, but I'm grateful that he was part of our family!
A world without cancer! I often wonder if it's possible? I do what I can, from raising critical research dollars to donating platelets 174 times as of 4/12/2021. For 18 years, my mission has been to help save lives, and this year that still includes health considerations surrounding COVID-19. The PMC has decided that it's impossible to hold the ride in full while guaranteeing the safety of all 6,000+ riders, 4,000 volunteers, and hundreds of first responders. PMC 2021 weekend will look different again this year. Three thousand riders will take to the streets of Massachusetts on PMC sanctioned routes. I will be one of them, opting for a 50-mile ride on Sunday, August 8, 2021. The remaining 3,000 will REIMAGINE and do their own thing.
The PMC is far more than a weekend bike ride. Its thousands of like-minded people joined together to achieve a common goal that serves the greater good, delivering millions of dollars that translate directly into lives saved as well as genuine hope for all.
Despite these difficult times, we can still demonstrate what people of common cause can do with body, heart, and soul-to sustain the fight against cancer. That includes you, my donors. If you are able, I hope you will continue to give generously to this vital cause. My minimum goal is $16,016, which will bring me to $170,000-lifetime fundraising!
Cancer sucks. It doesn't even care if you already beat it. It doesn't care how old you are or about your social status. Cance is not one disease. It is over 200 different diseases. What cancer doesn't know is the PMC is its worst nightmare. We are making incredible progress, and many diseases are now curable or chronic. But many people die, too many friends, too many family members.
2021 is my 14th as the captain of my team, THE PATRIOTS PLATELET PEDALERS. Our team is my second family, and they and the PMC have become part of my fabric, DNA, and story. I have witnessed so many great successes in treatment for friends and loved ones, but I have also seen too many tragic and painful deaths. I can't sit by and be a spectator. Each year I work in memory of so many I've lost over the years. Too many to name, but I hold them all close to my heart.
Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Thanks to corporate underwriting of the event, every single rider-raised penny goes to DFCI to continue the ground-breaking research and help patients. Please donate online or mail donations to me at 10 Hampshire Avenue, Sharon, MA 02067. Please make checks payable to PMC.
LET'S DO THIS!
Peace! Gary
