My recovery from total knee replacement surgery on June 15, 2023 is still a work in progress. I had hoped to be fully recovered to cycle once again from Sturbridge to Provincetown. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to happen. However, because I so deeply believe in the mission of the PMC, I will contribute and I hope you will too.
The picture you see is from August 2017. That year, six broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade suffered during a training ride prevented me from riding in my first PMC. Super volunteer Susan Sawyer who I had met through work, suggested I volunteer. She donates her time each year to the PMC and several other three-day cancer walks. When Susan suggested I join her on the Transportation Team I accepted her offer. It was a moving and memorable experience so I’ll be joining her once again this year Friday, Saturday and Sunday of PMC Weekend.
If it’s anything like 2017, we’ll be riding between the first water/rest stop in Whitinsville all the way to Provincetown, picking up riders who need help. Some have run out of gas, either undertrained or impacted by extreme weather. Some just need help making it to the next rest stop. They all have stories to tell of why they are riding.
The most compelling I heard was when we were dispatched to Nickerson State Park in Brewster on Day Two of the ride. We picked up a man who was almost in tears. He was doing a one-day ride from Bourne to Babson College in Wellesley. Following the crowd, he missed the sign for Wellesley and followed the crowd on its way to Provincetown. He had ridden 39 miles and three hours the wrong way.
He told us how he was riding for his father who had spent time at Dana Farber before passing away the previous February. He wanted to honor his dad and show his appreciation for all Dana Farber had done. His family was waiting at Gillette Stadium to cheer him on. He was beside himself. Susan and I drove him back to the Barnstable rest stop. Another van took him back to Bourne. And a third van drove him 39 miles towards Foxboro where he got out and resumed his ride.
I love being part of the magic that is the Pan Mass Challenge. I hope you will join me by donating. While I won’t be pedaling up those huge hills, I’m asking you to give what you can to the PMC. I know many of you reading this have your personal stories of family and friends who have battled cancer. I humbly ask that if you are in a position to do so, you follow the link and donate. 100% of all donations go directly to the Jimmy Fund from the PMC and are used to fund treatment and research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Thank you.
