On February 27, 2015, my mom Connie Peterson passed away from terminal liver cancer. She was diagnosed 7 months earlier, in the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. Before she was diagnosed, my mom was the hardest working, most loving , and healthiest person I knew. She loved her family more than anything, and was not only extremely commited to her own health, but also her family's. She participated in yoga, beachbody, shakeology, cleanses, an organic and vegan lifestyle, and massage therapy. Despite her incredible commitment to her health, cancer took over her body and it's most viscous form.
I knew that I could not do anything about her condition, but I did know that I could help make it so that other families never had to go through what we did. I rode in the Pan-Mass challenge for the first time in 2015, at age 15, as one of the youngest riders. Team Big Lion, named in honor of my mom, raised over 20,000 dollars. It is my goal to continue riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge for as long as my body allows me.
The PMC has shaped me in ways I would have never imagined when I started this adventure back in 2015, and I now am planning to apply to Physicians Assistant school upon my graduation from Roger Williams University in 2021. Through medicine, I hope to continue in the fight against cancer.
This year, I will be riding again with team Big Lion, a team which includes my father Cristopher Peterson and our good friend Lucy Smith. My mom was treated at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and without them, she would not have been able to be with us for as long as she was. We are forever grateful for their commitment to my mom and our family. 100 percent of donations will be donated to Dana Farber.
