In less than a week I will ride in the 2018 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) and raising money for cancer research . Next weekend, I will join sixteen of my friends and 5,500 other cyclists in the PMC ride, an annual bike-a-thon that raises money for research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston.

I have seen first-hand how devastating cancer can be. It has touched my family, friends and young energetic children who had their whole life in front of them. For the fourth year I am excited and honored to ride with Team Evans Crew.

This team which is riding for the sixth year is made up of family and friends of Evan Mandeville. Evan was diagnosed with DIPG, an inoperable brain tumor in November of 2011 and passed away in November 2012 at the age of 11 years old. He was diagnosed by the doctor's at Dana-Farber while at Boston Children's Hospital. It was the clinical trials being performed at the Jimmy Fund Clinic and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that provided the only option for his rare disease.

I am riding because I saw the struggle that Aimee and Tim and the entire family went though and I can’t begin to imagine losing a child. I am riding because I see the incredible strength this family has and what they have done to honor Evans memory. I am riding because I want to do my part in raising awareness and money to this incredible cause.

I am riding because I know that I have incredible family and friends that will help support my effort towards finding a cure. 100% of all donations made to Team Evan's Crew specifically funds DIPG research at Dana-Farber through the Evan T. Mandeville DIPG Research Fund.

For more details please refer to the Team Evan’s Crew team profile page http://www2.pmc.org/profile/PC0227 and follow the team on FaceBook (under My Links), or on the web at http://www.evanscrew.org.

I hope I can count on your support.

Thank you. Paul