Commitment and a Leap!
Major back surgery last fall removed three bones from my spine, so committing to my 14th PMC just three months later was a 'leap' of faith when walking was still a 'stretch' :-). Ride prep would mean lots of spring/summer training (1200+ miles and hours of gym and spin classes) to be ready for the 2-day / 200-mile ride the first weekend in August (rain or shine!). (fyi - August was not that far away when rehab and weather keep you off the bike until April! :-) But...with your support, my 13 prior PMCs have raised $71,000 for the Dana Farber (DFCI). Another ride - Worth It! Now, the PMC start line is fast approaching. I'm riding again with the Patriots Platelet Pedalers (PPP) team, a very special training group. PPP members donate blood platelets multiple times per year at the Dana Farber. Within DFCI, PPP funds support the good works of Dr. Anderson's Multiple Myeloma research.
Why PMC?
Big Problems need Big Efforts! The most common expression on the ride is Cancer Sucks. Let me tell you, it sucks in big, bad numbers! Cancer doesn't just suck, It Kills - Over 600,000 deaths ANNUALLY just in the US. That's a small town (1600 people) gone every day! Cancer is everywhere - 40% of all men and 35% of all women are hit. There are over 1.7 million NEW cancer cases each year (not counting skin cancers!) But, the good number is 100% - the PMC sends 100% of all your donations directlyto cancer researchers at the Dana Farber. In 2018 the 6,000+ PMC riders made for a really big, good number - $56 million taking the PMC 38 year total to DFCI over $654 million!. Enough to make a real difference and see that progress is real! www.pmc.org
Who Are You Riding For?
My childhood family was torn apart as cancer took my mom Ruth (age 42) and that pain was repeated years later, when my extended family lost our brother-in-law, Kip, (age 45). I wanted to make a difference so someday other families wouldn't have to go through what we did. In 2006 alongside my widowed sister-in-law, Kim, I signed up to ride my first PMC with her. Back then I was just hoping I could a) finish, and b) find someone (anyone) who would support my ride. You all exceeded my expectations!! Your donations poured in, and Kim and I crossed the 200 mile mark together with hugs for each other and tears of gratitude to you. WHAT I DIDN't EXPECT were the stories you all shared -- so many other family's loss to cancer -- mothers, fathers, brothers, children. Each year I've been honored to carry the names, memories, pictures, and tokens, pinned to my shirt or tucked in letters. For my part, I've cherished and shared those stories on the road from Sturbridge to P-town, at water stops, first aid tents, even while pedaling along with other PMC'ers. WHO ARE YOU RIDING FOR? Each year I've carried more - more names - more stories - and the battle goes on. Among them - Scott Miller(Army sergeant and Iraq vet), Mike Cronin, (boss/mentor of 10 years, friend, and person who taught me how to tell a story), Jane Campbell (my stepmother), Tim Rees (my friend and co-coach to Amanda's soccer team) (I miss Tim's awesome English humor each time I think of him. He would be so excited about the English women's soccer team!). The sad fact is I now know so many more, some for privacy I don't mention but who are still fighting the good fight, because cancer never quits. It must be beaten!
Pain, Joy, and Hard Questions at the PMC
Rolling joy, surrounded by angels, shared sorrow less painful, building a better world. That's why! What does a PMC feel like? A weightless flight down a country road on a bike with 6,000 friends near by. Cheering crowds for 200 miles. Chemo-scarfed kids holding signs -- Without you, I wouldn't be here. A PMC mile is a joy in living and commitment to Doing Something Bigger Than Yourself. You've never seen such a happy, committed, excited group of people, as the PMC riders, yet I know behind each smile is the pain and memories they carry. WHO ARE YOU RIDING FOR? Yet each name, each life, each story makes it easier to go on. PMCers train in the spring (cold and wet); we push to get up the hills(oh, the hills!); we train in summer heat with injuries, worn out knees, and aching bodies. Some riders are recovering from surgeries (like me), and many riders have cancer themselves. The PMC term is Living Proof that cancer can be fought and beaten!
The toughest part of the PMC is the asking -- For your help in the fight against cancer. In our culture we're not good at asking for help, but its the only way to reach really big goals! I wish you all could be there riding the days of shared joy, and just ‘being with’ the spirits of those who ride no more. It's no easy thing to ride with tears in your eyes, and a heart bursting with emotion, but the feelings lift the pedals and the miles fly by -- please join me!
Closer by the mile
PMCers tell each other, Newspapers proclaiming cancer is dead will be delivered on a bicycle! On page 1 will be the story of the PMC -- how WE all got together, how WE didn’t wait for a someone else to do something, and how WE made a difference. Cancer might not be cured in time for you or me or Tim, but with all of us pitching in, it might be in time for my daughters, or their kid’s kids. I do know that if we don't act, cancer will never cure itself! We will write the future by what we do today.
All I can tell you is that on August 3-4, all the names, and all the memories (TIm, Mike, Kip, my mom, and all the stories you shared) will be alive in my heart, making me smile, and lifting us up Sturbidge hills, and P'Town dunes, telling me as Tim would, “Well played, Kevin. Now let’s get on with it, and get to the finish for a cold glass!”
You can join the fight against cancer at this link: https://profile.pmc.org/KS0135 or by sending a check made out to Pan-Mass Challenge or Jimmy Fund to my home address (1 Sorelle Pl, Burlington, MA 01803)
So, best wishes, good health, happy days, ride on, and Let's Beat Cancer!
Thanks for your support!
-Kevin
