I'm a proud participant in the Pan-Mass Challenge - a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country - to bring us Closer by the Mile to a cure for cancer.

I've cheered on many friends and family members in the Pan Mass Challenge, but this is the first year I'll be riding. There are many reasons I am riding... Family members, colleagues and friends who have faced cancer diagnoses come to mind, many of whom are survivors, and others who lost their battles but whose memories live on. I've seen the amazing impact the PMC has had on patients, their families, and the future of cancer treatment. My late brother-in-law, Brendan Shea--himself a two-time cancer survivor--rode in the PMC five times. I am now honored to join the team he last rode with, Team Noble Effort, named for my friend's father, Mike Noble, who I was privileged to know.

Team Noble Effort has raised half a million dollars for cancer research, and since established the Michael C. Noble Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund at Dana Farber. Since its founding in 1980, PMC riders like me have raised more than $1 billion for lifesaving cancer research, treatment and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the country's top cancer care hospitals.

100 percent of every dollar I raise goes directly to Dana-Farber, meaning that your donation has a real impact! Please donate to my PMC fundraising and help me reach my fundraising goal.