I have committed to pedal the 192-mile ride across Massachusetts August 3-4 to raise money to further cancer research and discover more effective cures at Dana Farber. My son Max is a beneficiary of the phenomenal work that takes place at The Jimmy Fund Clinic at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and 55% of their budget comes from this single event, the Pan Mass Challenge. All donations go directly to Dana Farber, fund bleeding-edge research that is shared with scientists globally, and I would be grateful for any donation you could make.
In autumn of 2015 Max was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2, and the people at the Jimmy Fund Clinic saved his life. We lived in Boston Children’s Hospital for months and he received chemotherapy at the clinic and at home for two years. Had Max been diagnosed with Leukemia two generations ago, he would not have made it. The research had not yet resulted in effective treatments. However, farsighted individuals planted the seeds, invested in research, and today we have more available treatment protocols. Although they have vastly improved, many patients still do not survive.
I also ride in memory of Ava, a 7-year-old girl from New Hampshire who didn’t make it. Ava was the Pedal Partner for Team Caciano, and today Max is the team’s Pedal Partner. I will ride shoulder to shoulder with Ava’s dad. We remember together Ava’s infectious smile and the joy she brought to those who knew her. With the funds raised through the PMC, and the research that follows, perhaps it will be somewhat easier the next time around for the family that will sit in those dreaded waiting room chairs.
The day I asked Max’s physicians what his odds were, after the final diagnosis of his quite rare Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia had been confirmed, and after they answered that the 5-year survival odds were 50%, Max & I had pizza. I keep a picture of that moment as the background picture on my phone. For me, events fall into one of two categories: before that day and after that day. Hooked up to a rolling IV, blissfully unaware at age 2 what the people who loved him were going through, still with hair on his head, we ate our food from Halloween inspired plates and napkins. It was a small round blue table on the 6thfloor of Boston Children’s Hospital. And I looked at Max with a completely new perspective. In hindsight it was actually quite simple really. I merely gave him my full attention. There was no other person I would rather have been with at that moment in time, and no other place I would have rather been under the circumstances. We were there, we were present.
So folks, whether you’re able to donate today or not, I wish that you give those you spend your time with your undivided attention. Give them your energy, your bandwidth, your presence, and make your own life richer in the process. And if you care to donate energy to a worthy cause - and what is money but frozen energy anyway - donate some dry powder, help future unknown cancer patients by building up the available artillery. If your employer offers a matching gift program, leverage that. And then put the phone down, and Be Here Now.
Thank you,
Andy
I have committed to pedal the 192-mile ride across Massachusetts August 3-4 to raise money to further cancer research and discover more effective cures at Dana Farber. My son Max is a beneficiary of the phenomenal work that takes place at The Jimmy Fund Clinic at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and 55% of their budget comes from this single event, the Pan Mass Challenge. All donations go directly to Dana Farber, fund bleeding-edge research that is shared with scientists globally, and I would be grateful for any donation you could make.
In autumn of 2015 Max was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2, and the people at the Jimmy Fund Clinic saved his life. We lived in Boston Children’s Hospital for months and he received chemotherapy at the clinic and at home for two years. Had Max been diagnosed with Leukemia two generations ago, he would not have made it. The research had not yet resulted in effective treatments. However, farsighted individuals planted the seeds, invested in research, and today we have more available treatment protocols. Although they have vastly improved, many patients still do not survive.
I also ride in memory of Ava, a 7-year-old girl from New Hampshire who didn’t make it. Ava was the Pedal Partner for Team Caciano, and today Max is the team’s Pedal Partner. I will ride shoulder to shoulder with Ava’s dad. We remember together Ava’s infectious smile and the joy she brought to those who knew her. With the funds raised through the PMC, and the research that follows, perhaps it will be somewhat easier the next time around for the family that will sit in those dreaded waiting room chairs.
The day I asked Max’s physicians what his odds were, after the final diagnosis of his quite rare Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia had been confirmed, and after they answered that the 5-year survival odds were 50%, Max & I had pizza. I keep a picture of that moment as the background picture on my phone. For me, events fall into one of two categories: before that day and after that day. Hooked up to a rolling IV, blissfully unaware at age 2 what the people who loved him were going through, still with hair on his head, we ate our food from Halloween inspired plates and napkins. It was a small round blue table on the 6thfloor of Boston Children’s Hospital. And I looked at Max with a completely new perspective. In hindsight it was actually quite simple really. I merely gave him my full attention. There was no other person I would rather have been with at that moment in time, and no other place I would have rather been under the circumstances. We were there, we were present.
So folks, whether you’re able to donate today or not, I wish that you give those you spend your time with your undivided attention. Give them your energy, your bandwidth, your presence, and make your own life richer in the process. And if you care to donate energy to a worthy cause - and what is money but frozen energy anyway - donate some dry powder, help future unknown cancer patients by building up the available artillery. If your employer offers a matching gift program, leverage that. And then put the phone down, and Be Here Now.
Thank you,
Andy
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
