Receiving a cancer diagnosis - for oneself or for a loved one - is painful for many reasons, among them a deep feeling of helplessness and an inability to change the outcome. It was maddening for me that I couldn't change the outcome of Betsy's diagnosis, but by raising money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — one of the top cancer centers in the world — I feel that I can at least help other families avoid the same fate.

I’m proud and excited to be riding in my eighth Pan-Mass Challenge this August. Again this year, Grant and I will be doing the two-day, 165-mile Wellesley-to-Provincetown route. As I enter the final weeks of training, I'm sending out this message to ask for your support. As PMC founder Billy Starr put it: The actual ride is the gravy; the real joy — and work — of the PMC is in raising money to help win the fight against cancer. Over the years, I've come to appreciate more and more the meaning of those words.

I hope I can count on your support

I hope you’ll consider supporting my PMC ride. I have committed to raising $6,000 but aim to raise much more than that. 100% of your donation will go toward supporting the critical research and patient care that has turned Dana-Farber into one of the leading cancer centers in the world. Its doctors, researchers and nurses do what they do with stoicism and determination, yet the care that patients receive is incredibly compassionate. If ever there was an organization worthy of our support, it is Dana-Farber.

Thanks,

Rob