Greetings Family and Friends,
With summer in full swing the Collins family turns its attention to the first week in August. 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 my first year riding 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 cancer diagnoses, riding 192 miles over two days seemed pretty easy. 2025 will mark my 10th 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. Her tests continue to come back negative. 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 rode in the PMC Kids Ride in Pelham, NH. In 2017 we helped start a PMC Kids Ride in Manchester which has now raised over $155K 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 as our anniversary often falls on PMC weekend, and we are thankful Dana Farber makes the celebrations possible.
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
