It was March seven years ago that I had my first all clear check-up at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute after undergoing surgery and chemo there the prior fall. Around this time my cycling friend and coworker Peter asked me if I had ever considered participating in the Pan Mass Challenge, an annual charity ride that raises money for the Dana-Farber. I really knew nothing about the event but Peter had ridden it a few times and said he had a great time. I was an avid cyclist anyway so figured my participation would be a nice way to get back into shape while also giving thanks to the DFCI for my new lease on life. I hoped I could get a few friends to chip with some donations but if need be I could cough up the bulk of the $4,000 fund raising minimum requirement. So I signed up - for something that I didn't know would forever change my life.
Astonishingly that first year friends and family donated over $9,000 and I had one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I have participated in hundreds of cycling events but none compare to the PMC. What I thought would be a one and done bike ride had me hopelessly hooked.
Finishing my fourth PMC ride back in 2014
This summer I will participate in my seventh ride which should see my historical ride donation total pass the $75,000 mark. I've personally donated another $8,000 to fellow riders or directly to the Dana-Farber.
Since that first ride in 2011 I have had to deal with three more cancer diagnosis but I am now over three years clear. Don’t let anybody tell you we’re are not making strides against this insidious disease. I'm the poster boy for progress. But at the same time not a month goes by that I don’t hear of somebody who has been affected in some way by cancer. I have lost friends and loved ones. Chances are you have too. There is still work to be done.
So I’m asking again for support as I join over 6,500 other cyclists as we attempt to meet a goal of raising over $48 million in one August weekend by riding across the state of Massachusetts. In the history of the event the PMC cyclists and their sponsors have been able to contribute over half a billion dollars to fund cancer research at the Dana-Farber.
Cancer research is serious science and serious science takes serious money. The new administration has put funding for the National Institute of Health directly in the cross hairs. Funding will slightly increase in 2017 but over $5 billion in NIH cuts are proposed for 2018. Contributions from private sources like the PMC look to be all the more valuable to the fight as we move forward.
Some of the hundreds of 2016 PMC riders and volunteers who are either cancer survivors or are living with cancer. We are Living Proof that what we are doing together is working.
I jokingly call this my Annual Shameless Plea. Yes it's a plea. And yes I have no shame in asking because I know every last cent donated to a rider will go where it is supposed to go - to the Dana-Farber. Corporate and private underwriters cover the entire event overhead. All donations are tax deductible and eligible for most company matching programs.
Won’t you please consider a donation in any amount to help the Dana-Farber give others the same chance of survivorship they gave me?
Thank you,
Jim Coggeshall
