This year I get the honor of celebrating my 20th PMC. It is so hard to believe I first registered in 2001 having no idea how it would impact my life. I will be forever grateful for this experience. It would never have been possible without the support of my friends and family and I can't thank you enough for helping me raise almost $25,000 for the Dana Farber since I began.
My involvement in the PMC began the year my cousin Kathy died from a brain tumor at the age of 38. I had finally realized that this was "enough" and reflected on the needlessly long list of people that I had watched suffer with this disease. It started with my aunt Lori, a beautiful, kind and healthy mother of two small children, who also died from a brain tumor 9 months after her diagnosis at the age of 32. My family has never been the same without her. And we lost John Ober, David Nobilini, my grandfathers Ben and Chao, just to name a few. The greatest tragedy was the loss of Kathy's husband Rick from melanoma - 5 years after she died - leaving their two teenage boys without parents. This year my husband's aunt Meg lost a fierce battle with lung cancer, as did my cousin Janice.
Through my involvement with the PMC, I was very fortunate to meet the most wonderful families with children who suddenly found themselves a patient at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, but unfortunate for the reason why. Ryan, Corey, Ethan, Charlotte, Samantha and Kira - thank you for letting us share this journey with you and for being a true inspiration to all of us. And I can't forget my "PHAT Tuesday" teammates and fellow riders Pete, Bill, Maryellen and Joyce.
The list goes on, and so does the fight. Many people are suffering this year - emotionally, financially and physically and I know that asking for a donation can feel like a burden. TOver 600,000 people died from cancer in 2019 and who knows what that number will look like next year if people are not able to access routine medical care that may catch this early. Thank you for reading my story and for your unending support and encouragement! And thanks to everyone on PHAT Tuesday - I would never have made it without you!
(with Kira at the PMC - what a champ!)
