One Billion.
It is a really big number. In 2024, the PMC will surpass the Billion dollar mark in funds raised for the lifesaving mission of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, helping to fund immediate patient care needs and break through discoveries and cancer research. In 45 years, the PMC has grown from 36 riders raising just over $10,000 in 1980 to more than 6000 riders who raised over $70,000,000 in 2023. Yes, the numbers are staggering, and the advances in cancer treatment and research over that time have been staggering as well. Great strides have been made, survival rates continue to improve and each year advances are made in treating and preventing cancer. More needs to be done though.
Last year I wrote about our Pedal Partner Olivia from Westford. Olivia, now 4 years old, was diagnosed in early 2023 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She has been receiving treatment at the DFCI, and her cancer is in remission. That only tells part of Olivia’s story. She is currently on a 2 year treatment plan, and our team has been following her progress. Olivia travels to the Jimmy Fund clinic multiple times each month for her chemotherapy. On numerous occasions her treatments have had to be delayed because her blood counts were low. Her treatments are accompanied by steroid treatments which have caused some damage to the bones in her legs, to say nothing of the nausea and fatigue she endures. What seems to bother Olivia the most is missing school! We would not wish this on an adult let alone a sweet 4 year old who takes all of her treatments in stride. Despite what she is going through, it is rare to see a picture of her, always in her spiderman costume, without a smile on her face.
Olivia, and other kids and adults who have been afflicted by cancer are why I have done this ride for 20 years, and am doing it again this year. What we do helps, and the doctors at the DFCI continue to say that the work they do would not be possible without the money raised by the PMC. Unlike any other fundraising event of its kind, 100% of all rider raised funds from the PMC go directly to the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber, last year for a total donation of $72 Million dollars representing over 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s revenue. Your donation counts and 100% of it goes directly to the good work being done by the DFCI and the Jimmy Fund.
One billion dollars is a lot of money. It takes donations of any size to reach that goal. In 2023, my daughter Heather (who is squeezing in this ride and her training while planning her September wedding!) and I, thanks to support of our families, friends and co-workers raised over $42,000 for the Jimmy Fund and DFCI. We know there are many worthwhile causes seeking your support, but with your help, we hope to meet or exceed the work we did last year. We are again doing the training and the riding and ask you to help in any way you can.
Donating to the PMC is easy, and there are many options.
The easiest option is to make your gift on-line by using the PMC eGift program. Simply click on the link below to go directly to my online site at: http://www.pmc.org/profile/JM0261. The process is simple and easy.
The other option is to make a check out to our team, DC Riders/PMC. Your tax-deductible check can be made payable to DC Riders/PMC. I will be happy to pick up donations or you can mail them to me at the address below. For every check I receive, I will contribute $10 to the PMC to cover postage and the cost of the envelope.
Thank you in advance for your support!
John
MAKE A DONATION IN SUPPORT OF JOHN MCDONALD'S PMC RIDE
Mail to:
John McDonald
PO Box 522
Centerville, MA 02632
617 694 6292
http://www.pmc.org/profile/JM0261
