Dear Family and Friends:
My annual trek by bicycle across Massachusetts, and my quest to raise funds for a cause near and dear to me occurs this August 3rd and 4th. I will be riding from Wellesley, MA to Provincetown, MA with over 6,000 cyclists, in the 39th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC). The PMC, a fundraising bike-a-thon, raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country, and is the most cost efficient, with 100% of each dollar raised going directly to the Jimmy Fund. The PMC has contributed more than $654 million to lifesaving cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since its 1980 inception. Unfortunately, this disease has impacted too many people in our lives. Because of successful research today, we are winning more of the battles against cancer. Here is my story that has motivated me to help fight this disease:
My normal, active life typically produced a few bumps and bruises but, for the latter half of 1999 I had experienced increasing low back pain. A CT scan identified a surface tumor on a lymph node in my abdominal area. Two days before Christmas I had surgery to biopsy the tumor, it would take a few days to determine the results. After a couple of days, I was discharged from the hospital and tried to heal and recharge on Mama's fine home cooking. A few days later, I experienced chest pain so severe, that I found myself in the emergency room, and was run through a series of tests. During these tests, a new physician entered my life - my oncologist. He shared with me the results of my biopsy - the diagnosis was seminoma cancer. We discussed my options for next two hours and I had taken enough notes to know what my next few months would look like. But the fun was not done yet. Later that same afternoon, I had a chest ultrasound performed and within minutes, a flurry of doctors rushed in to tell that I had a pulmonary embolism, or massive blood clots in both my heart and lungs. My only option was emergency open-heart surgery to remove these clots. By now I had concluded, I was having a pretty shitty day.
Recovery from heart surgery went as well as one could hope; however, the story continued. A few weeks later I developed more blood clots but, this time in both legs, otherwise known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT's), requiring multiple vascular surgeries to remove the blood clots. At this point, I was beginning to worry that the clots were worse than the cancer. Once we were able to resolve the clotting, I had to work my way through the damage that occurred to my vascular circulation, which had been severely compromised. I was unable to walk for almost three months. Concurrently, I went through 3 months of chemotherapy treatment which was equally challenging for my family, friends and me, but thankfully was successful in ending the tumor's growth. Every moment of every day I give thanks, and cherish the many wonderful things that we are able to do each day.
Each year's ride is a milestone - it is now 18 years since I finished my chemotherapy treatment. In my 17 years of riding, 1 year as a volunteer, and fundraising for the PMC, over $149,000.00 has been raised with your help. Last year our efforts yielded over $5,000.00 and this year I hope to raise $10,000 with your help. I am riding on Team Lick Cancer's cycling team. Thank you!!!!
Tony
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