When you hear about a cancer diagnosis, what do you do? You feel awful, but what do you do? There is no right answer, because we are all different, so the best one can do, is what you can do.

I can ride my bike 170+ miles as part of the annual Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) raising funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DCFI). I have already started training for my thirty-third (33) PMC and will spend August 3rd and 4th on my bike. For more than ½ of my life, June, July and that first August weekend goes towards the Pan-Mass Challenge.

With riding mates already announcing next year will their last PMC ride, I may also be getting close, but I am not quite there yet. Especially as our family sits in the “we are taking a biopsy” purgatory, waiting to hear if we’ll need to fight another cancer battle or not.

We can’t remove the sorrow, pain and Cancer devastation, but we don’t have to wallow in helplessness. Acting, fighting, being proactive, sending a note, giving a hug, letting someone know you are thinking of them, makes an impact. And we are making an impact, giving hope, identifying cancers sooner, finding new treatments and creating hope.

Last year, the PMC was responsible for 62% of what the Jimmy Fund raised for the DFCI and the PMC lifetime DFCI donations will clear $1B dollars this year. While I peddle, it’s your donation that feeds the oncology research, patient care, and data science that is making the difference. See the pie chart below for where last year’s $72M went. Once again, 100% of fund raising goes directly to the Dana-Farber

Sharing/forwarding this e-mail to others is an additional opportunity for you to contribute. Also, take a moment to see if your company has a matching program, click here.

Thank you for your generous support in the continuous fight against cancer!

Steven

Picture Note: That is my Dad, JB. That was the last year he was able to come and see me at the last PMC waterstop on day 2. We lost him the next year to pancriatic cancer. It's been fiver years and we still miss him.