Year Two of riding the Pan-Mass Challenge with Team Perry in August in honor of my dad, Phil DiTullio.
My father was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer in May 2019. He underwent an esophagectomy and multiple rounds of treatment to combat the cancer through Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He believed so strongly in his team from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and in science. He would tell me many times during his treatments that he was so grateful that we lived in Massachusetts (specifically Milford) because we had the best treatment possible to help him beat his cancer.
As he was completing his treatment in 2020, the world came to a standstill with the COVID-19 pandemic. We kept our distance because we truly feared with his weakened immune system that we would share this awful illness with him. Things would continue this way for most of 2020 with the occasional visit outdoors and with safe distance. When the holidays rolled around we celebrated remotely but we celebrated because in November his scans came back clean.
2021 rolled around and Dad started to not quite feel right. Thinking it was just the symptoms of treatments and surgery he didn’t think too much of it right away. When things didn’t clear up he went back to his team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to get checked out. The beginning of March they discovered that the cancer was back. Before they were able to find the source my father suffered a massive stroke coupled with a heart attack. He was med-flighted to Boston to try to save him. After a week they decided to bring him home on Hospice. A week later, after a brave 22 month battle filled with ups and down, my father passed away.
It has been 3 years in March since we lost my Dad. There isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t cross my mind. My Dad believed in science. He believed in his team at Dana Farber. He felt fortunate to have the best that science had to offer in his care. When I was introduced to Team Perry, it felt like it was meant to be. The Perry S. Levy Fund for Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute focuses on research on cancer of the gastrointestinal tract which will represent almost 1/4 of all new cancer diagnosis, and 1/3 of the cancer deaths, this year. Team Perry is hoping to reach their goal of 10 million dollars raised in the 20 years they have been riding.
I feel lucky to be a part of this team and that I’m able to ride in honor of my Dad, Phil DiTullio.
Will you help honor my Dad and fight the battle against cancer?
