<-- Perry competing in a biathlon in 1991. Notice the fake tatoo on his arm. Victory or Death!
WE DID IT IN 2023...we reached out 10 MILLION DOLLAR milestone in 23 years!
Welcome to Team Perry's profile. My name is Melissa Jacoby, I am the captain of Team Perry which was unofficially started in 2000 when 2 friends of my father decided to ride the PMC in memory of my first husband Perry S. Levy who passed away in October of 1999. We became official in 2001!
While Perry was the impetus to start this team, it would not have happened without the incredible work of my dad, Bernard “Buddy” Gitlin. When Perry passed away he made fighting cancer his mission, which then became a passion! He recruited, he fundraised, he trained and he embraced everything about this fight! And then sadly, in a cruel twist he lost his personal fight quickly to Leukemia on July 22, 2023. Support of my dad's friends, colleagues and wide network was second to none and allowed us to achieve the incredible 10 Million Dollar milestone last year. If you are visiting this page because you are one of my dad’s supporters, welcome and we so appreciate you helping us to continue his legacy.
Now back to Perry....Perry was 32 years old when he lost his short battle with cancer of the small bowel. Perry had an incredible spirit of competition and the motivation necessary to succeed in all endeavors. He embraced each day of his life with passion and enthusiasm. He competed in marathons and triathlons with true desire and determination.
In 2001, with some encouragement from a good friend, I decided to ride the PMC. It was a perfect tribute to Perry and all that he represented. We trained all spring and the day of the ride we wore matching shirts that said Perry S. Levy - You are the wind at our backs. The day was filled with excitement and emotion and I knew that I would be participating in the ride for years to come.
In 2002, I recruited my father and a few other close friends (including Perry's uncle) to ride in Perry's memory. In the years following, the team has grown to include Perry's brothers and cousins, my sister and father and some amazing old friends and new friends. We continued our mission to support cancer research throughout the pandemic and in 2023 we raised over $540K and reached our 10 MILLION DOLLARS raised milestone!
Shortly after Perry's death we established the Perry S. Levy Fund for Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at Dana Farber. Based on the money we have raised over the past 23 years, we have the proud honor of appointing a Fellow at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center (GCC) at Dana Farber. The team's fundraising supports the fellow's annual salary as well as research efforts at Dana Farber. The fellow specifically focuses research on cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. These cancers will represent almost 1/4 of all new cancer diagnosis this year and will be responsible for 1/3 of the cancer deaths this year. Dana Farber is making wonderful advances in the treatment of these cancers and we are proud to be able to contribute to their efforts.
Help us win the fight against cancer so we can hang on to our loved ones for years to come!
Thank you!
TEAM PERRY
