Dear Friends:  

Fundraising for the PMC is very hard in the face of Covid-19.   Many people have: lost jobs, seen their paychecks fall, lost investment value, have unemployed children, and have contributed to many Covid-related charities.  These are all very good reasons to not donate to the PMC or to donate far less than in past years.

But let's be clear about one thing that Covid-19 has not changed:  Cancer has not been cancelled. The battle against cancer wages on, and in fact, Covid-19 has had an enormous financial impact on all hospitals, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, as its operating costs have risen and its revenues have fallen due to many non-life threatening cancer appointments and procedures being put on a multi-month hold. 

Covid-19 did not stop my daughter Taylor, now 25 and an 8-Year PMC'er, from needing a stem cell transplant this June to address her treatment resistent Hodgkins Lymphoma.  She spent 21 days in isolation in the hospital with no visitors allowed.  Fortunately, she is now home recovering, getting stronger by the day, and we hope that her scans in early September will reveal that the transplant worked and that she is in remission.         

Many of you know that I could not ride the 2019 PMC because I was struck on my bike by a fast moving car on 6/26/2019 and hospitalized for 33 days.  I did make it to opening ceremonies in Sturbridge to see off my wife Karen ( who rode her first PMC), and my daughters Daniella ( her 6th) and Taylor ( her 8th).  Needless to say, I was so proud, very emotional, and super inspired by Taylor’s TV segment that played to the 4000 people in attendance ( below) the by the rest of the stories about patients whose lives have been saved because of the money we all raise for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.   

As a family, thanks to you, our 2019 family fundraising exceeded $40,000 last year. My PMC Team, Team Kermit, crossed the $5 mil mark since inception and our fundraising has lead to many life saving discoveries for the treatment of pediatric brain and spinal cancers, and children who would have certainly died 15 years ago are now living functional lives given these discoveries, including in gene mapping for diagnoses, treatment identification, and drug development.  

Many of you have already donated to me though Facebook, and I thank you for your tremendous generosity.  For those of you who have not donated, I ask you to do what you can, recognizing that its a very challnging year. The PMC is an essential component of the operating budget for the Dana Farber, and all expectations are that there will be about a $100 million dollar shortfall this year due to diminished PMC and Boston Marathon fundraising and the Dana's added Covid-19 costs.   

You can donate by pressing any of the links below.  You can also send me a check payable to the PMC to: 

Michael Chinitz

Chinitz Law LLC

160 Gould Street, Suite 102

Needham Heights MA 02494. 

I am back on the bike with vigor. I have been cycling whenever I can and will be doing some form of a "reimagined PMC" this August with friends and teammates at a safe distance.   

I hope you and your families are safe and healthy, and God Bless.  

Mike

https://boston.cbslocal.com/video/4130460-living-proof-pmc-rider-ready-to-bike-again-after-cancer-treatments/