For the 14th time I will be participating in the Pan Massachusetts Challenge on August 3 & 4, 2024 to raise funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.Thank you all who have supported me over the years and continue to do so.
When I committed to do this for the first time in 2002 I did so to help those fighting cancer, to honor the memory of my father who lost his battle with cancer 50 years ago this May, and to pay tribute to friends, family, and loved ones lost to this disease. Each year this honor roll grew along with my commitment and determination to do something that would help. There was never any shortage of additional emotional inspiration to continue.
This year, however, is a bit different. My own personal experience with prostate cancer and the successful surgery I underwent since I last rode has given me added perspective. The support I received from my wife and children, my family, friends, college classmates, including some who shared their similar experiences and advice, and colleagues with whom I work, was a profound life-affirming experience. The world class medical care I received has also given me an even greater appreciation for the advances made in combating this disease and the work yet to be done.
What else is different? I now qualify for and am included in the Living Proof community. If you need to find me on Saturday afternoon, I will be at the flagpole at Mass Maritime at 6:00pm when the Living Proof photo is taken. I will be honored to join this inspirational group.
The PMC is an unbelievably rewarding annual committment to raise money for life-saving cancer care and research through the Jimmy Fund. While I enjoy the many people I meet who share this passion, it is also a rare opportunity for introspection, or, as one friend refers to it, rolling meditation. I enjoy the physical challenge in support of this truly worthy cause and look forward to this remarkable event every year. While I think about those lost to this disease while I am riding, I ride for the living and so the wonderful employees at Dana Farber Cancer Institute have that much more support in their tireless efforts to find a cure.
Like many of you, my family is no stranger to this disease. In addition to my father's battle with cancer, I have a brother who successfully beat this disease 34 years ago. I have other college classmates and roomates, some of whom have children who have dealt with this disease, and a number of friends who have dealt with cancer in various forms, two of whom without a doubt are alive today because of the care they received at Dana Farber. Their experiences add to my determination to do something again that could help the effort to combat this disease. This amazing collective effort cannot help but make you feel that you are part of something much bigger than yourself and you are truly making a difference and contributing to the real advances being made at this tremendous institution. This disease will be beaten, and when it is I am convinced it will be due in large part to the amazing work that takes place at Dana Farber.
This year I am again a member of the Patriots Platelet Pedalers, a team of riders sponsored by the New England Patriots Foundation and the Kraft family, that raised over $1.5 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2023. Last year over 6000 cyclists and 4000 volunteers participated in the PMC. Cyclists are required to raise between $500 and $6000 to ride, depending on the chosen route. I will be riding from Sturbridge to Bourne on Saturday August 3, 2024 and from Bourne to Provincetown on Sunday, August 4, 2024.
They tell me it will be 186 miles over two days. My goal is to raise at least $8000. Your donation is fully tax deductible and thanks to corporate underwriting of the event, every single dollar donated goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to help patients and continue its groundbreaking research. Please donate on line using the link http://profile.pmc.org/MM0205 or mail donations to me at 11 MacNeill Drive, Southborough, MA 01772. Please make checks payable to the PMC.
Thank you, again, for your support and your help in the battle!
