Greetings Family and Friends,
With summer in full swing the Collins family turns its attention to the first week in Aug. On Aug 5, 1989 Claire and I were married in Baton Rouge. The first weekend has alway been a special weekend. In 2016 it became even more special. That was the first year I rode in the Pan Mass Challenge. At the time, I rode because Dana Farber had done some much for our family. Riding was my attempt to give back. Having seen what Claire, my sister Amy and others had to go through with a Cancer diagnoses, riding 192 miles over 2 days seemed pretty easy. 2024 will mark my 9th ride from Sturbridge,MA to Provincetown, MA. It's a special weekend that Claire Joel and I Iook forward to.
As most of you know, in the spring 2015 Claire was diagnosed with breast cancer and treated at Dana Farber. It was at that time that I announced I would ride in the PMC in 2016. After Claire's treatment of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Dana Farber gave her the opportunity to enroll in a two year trial for a drug to prevent recurrence. In 2023 her tests continue to come back negative, and we are tremendously grateful for the care she received, and continues to receive, at this world-class facility.
Dana Farber and the Pan Mass Challenge have become very important to our family. In 2016 Joel started riding in the PMC Kids Rides. He has now aged out of the Kids Ride and but is happy to be part of rider support to our team FLAMES. In 2017 we helped start a PMC Kids Ride in Manchester which has now raised over $140K total for Dana Farber and The Jimmy Fund. Joel is now a volunteer.
Fighting cancer is hard work. Riding 192 miles is the easy part. I've made a personal commitment to raise $11,000 this year, and I hope you can help me reach this important goal. If you can give, please do so. If you cannot this year, I understand. And if you have the capacity to give a little more than you might normally, your generosity will make a tremendous difference. As always, 100% of every dollar donated supports Dana Farber’s world-class research and care.
The first weekend of August we have a lot to celebrate and we are thankful Dana Farber made the celebrations possible.
In May 2023 we returned to Dana Farber-affiliated Faulkner Hospital where Claire had her surgeries. I had a Mohs procedure, which has a 98% success rate, and like others who have had a diagnosis I will now be on schedule for follow ups every six months. I'm grateful for the excellent care I received, and also for my friend and long-time PMC supporter Jim who had a similar diagnosis. He always says that if you have a spot that won't heal, get it checked out. Now I will be saying that too.
Please follow the link below to make a donation. Claire, Joel and I thank you very much for your consideration.
profile page: http://pmc.org/BC0247
Donation page: https://donate.pmc.org/BC0247
