WHY I RIDE
Over the past 59 years, I’ve had many relatives, friends, acquaintances and idols battle cancer – some have beat it and some have lost their lives to it. This past year something changed in me and made me feel more compelled to help eliminate cancer from our lives forever. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and hopefully wiser. But maybe it’s the reality of how precious our life really is, and that it can be gone in an instant, which almost seems cliché until it really hits you. In 2018, I watched as two of my co-workers who battled cancer. Working beside these amazing people hit home for me. I watched them work through tremendous pain and stress day in and day out. Both of them survived and are now my heroes. My mother, Claire Bartini, beat rectal cancer over 17+ years ago and continues to be a force in my life. Recently, a dear friend that I’ve known for 20 years was not so fortunate, Mark Gardner lost his life to lung cancer. Recently, our family lost Jimmy Brown, age 50 to pancreatic cancer. I’ve always felt that you need to have a passion for something in order to really put your heart and soul into it. I am truly passionate about raising money to help put an end to this horrible disease and joining forces with the Pan Mass Challenge feels like the right step to make a difference in the fight against cancer.
It was through my dear friend Suzanne Merritt that I learned about the PMC. Suzanne is one of my heroes who endured so much while battling cancer beginning in 2012. Her journey and dedication to the Pan-Mass Challenge are inspirational. Her dedication to the challenge in particular, stems from the fact that the PMC Donates 100% of EVERY RIDER-RAISED DOLLAR to DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE. These research dollars help everyone who is diagnosed receive better testing, treatment, patient care and so much more.
It is the right time for me to combine my love for biking with my desire to put an end to the “C” word once and for all. So for all the people in my lifetime that beat the “C” word, lost their lives to it or continue to struggle with it - I LOVE you and I dedicate my 2019 PMC ride each and every one of you!