I want to thank you all for supporting my rides in the past and I want to reach out to you as I celebrate my 22nd ride in the Pan Mass Challenge. This always has been a time of reflection and memory, a lot of very sad memories and a lot of very happy ones.

I first started to ride this event, to raise money for cancer research, to help find the cure, when a good friend of mine died from cancer. Mark Dangora died at only age 35 just shortly after the birth of his second son. He discovered his cancer during an appendectomy. He died within the year. This senseless indiscriminate loss of life made we want to get off the couch and do something to try to put an end to this horrible disease. Since that time there have been many untimely deaths through this disease, I will not go through them all but I do want to remember 2 others.

Kim Grossman was a colleague at Monster. I remember talking to her about a heavy hitter PMC dinner that I went to where they talked about a discovery that prolonged life for what is and remains incurable cancer. They had the patient and the doctor present at the event. It turns out Kim had the same diagnosis and the same doctor. Kim put up an incredible 6-year fight against this disease but eventually lost her battle. At the very end of her time, she called me in tears knowing the end was coming but her anguish was around her inability to afford to have a funeral as all her and her families money had been spent on treatments. It was a very sad moment in my life. One of the great things about this journey is the incredible people you meet. My PMC Monster team rallied on hearing this news and we held a fundraiser the next week and raised enough money for the funeral. I attended the funeral with my good friend Steve Moyal, it was a great celebration of her life and a testament of her will to live and spoke to her incredible strength of character. I remember the following summer that during thePMC ride Kim’s mother called me and told me that her daughter was watching over me during the ride and that she remained proud of me for what we were and still are trying to do.

Seven years ago, as many of you know, I rode in memory of my great friend and colleague, Warren Ost. Warren sponsored my efforts each and every year from when I first started riding in 2003. At the end of my 8th year, Warren discovered his own cancer, lung cancer. Warren was very upbeat and was being treated by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the beneficiary of the PMC fundraising efforts. Warren told me that he was going to be getting a return on his investment. Unfortunately, despite a heroic fight by Warren, his cancer got the better of him and Warren passed in March 3 years ago. I proudly wore Warren’s picture on my back for the 2 days of that year’s ride.

Too many people have died through this indiscriminate disease.

There have also been so many people who are now survivors versus victims, thanks to all the incredible research that you have helped fund. Death rates from cancer have been falling dramatically especially since the PMC started 40 years ago. For example this quote In 2006, for the first time in recorded history, the number of annual cancer deaths in the United States decreased. Death rates from cancer have been declining since 1993, but this is the first decline in the actual number of cancer deaths in over 70 years or Science Daily (Nov. 25, 2008) A new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows that, for the first time since the report was first issued in 1998, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing for both men and women. This news is encouraging, together we are making a difference.

My PMC involvement over the last 22 years has had a profound effect on me. It has introduced me to the world of not for profits and has changed my career. I now have worked in this industry for the last 13 years and the feeling that I have had each and every day in working to a mission versus a bottom line has made such a huge positive difference in my outlook and how I live my life. When I first got into this world my goal was to go work for the PMC or the Dana FarberCancer Institute. No matter what mission I serve at work, cancer and finding a cure remains a huge passion and is a cause that exists in all worlds, it is indiscriminate, it does not care what color you are or how much money you make, cancer strikes all.

In the last 18 years my total raised is $168,734, over the last 18 years I have led 3 different teams and together these teams have raised over $5.5 million. The PMC has now raised $767 million, all THANKS to YOU

Despite all of our collective efforts, cancer still kills. Our work is not done. I, therefore, am asking you once again to dig deep into your pockets and support my 17th ride in the PMC. I continue to be blessed by people who care for this cause and donate to me each and every year. I hope I can count on you once again to contribute to my campaign.

It is easiest to donate online. To do so please follow this link. https://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?Paceline=donate&eGiftID=AC0116 THANK YOU for reading this

My Links

http://danafarberplga.org/