This August I will be returning to ride alongside Team Fitz in my second PMC, an 162 mile bike ride from Wellesley to Provincetown.
I wrote the following “why I ride” back in 2018 in preparation for my first PMC, fresh off my own battle with cancer. While so much has changed for me in those 6 intervening years (marriage, career, two spunky babies), my gratitude for the Dana-Farber has remained.
Early in my treatment a friend said to me, “You’re not going to be the only one, you’re just the first of us.” Unfortunately, she was right. Since that day cancer has come for friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers whose stories have touched my heart. Most recently, and what has brought me back to the PMC, was the diagnosis of our friends’ 4 year old son, and Team Fitz “pedal partner” Owen, who is currently undergoing treatment for B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. At almost the same time a lifelong friend’s young niece began her own battle with lymphoma. It seems never ending, and the DFCI needs our help to find a cure. Please consider donating to our ride.
2018:
It is unbeliveably hard for me to put into words exactly what the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute means to me. During my first trip through those doors on May 16, 2016 it was fear, anxiety, and disbelief. I left that day with a diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer, at just 29 years old. Yesterday, as I walked through those same doors for what feels like the millionth time, my overwhelming feeling was gratitude. I am now 19 months cancer free.
This August, I will have the privledge of riding in my first PMC as a member of Team Fitz. 100% of rider-raised dollars goes directly to providing the DFCI and the Jimmy Fund with the resources necessary to continue life-saving research and treatment. It is because of this very research and treatment that I am sitting here today, alive, well, and stuggling to organize my thoughts into a compelling bio.
I have many, many memories of the time I have spent at DFCI, some of them are painful, others vague and blurred by medication, but the majority are uplifting. I am riding because I am grateful, and I am grateful for so much. I am grateful for the infusion nurses who never failed to make me laugh even if I wanted to cry, who treated me like I was 'normal' when I felt anything but. I am grateful for the surgeon who donated her time, and shuffled her operating schedule to perform a procedure that insurance would not cover. I am grateful for my medical oncologist who never once talked about time or survival as if they were anything but garunteed. I am grateful for the volunteers who brought books to read, and performed reiki when I couldn't relax. I am grateful for the lunch lady who always stayed for a chat when I wasn't feeling well enough to eat. I am grateful to my classmates who sent study guides, who stayed late to help me with labwork so that I wouldn't fall behind. I am grateful that I am fortunate enough to live in a city where world class care is around the corner, that my sisters, friends, and fiance could walk from work to have lunch with me. I am grateful for every card, visit, dinner, sudoku and well wish that came my way. I am grateful for cancer, becuase cancer showed me the depth of human kindness and compassion, and I will value that always.
Far too many people will suffer because of this horrible disease, physically, emotionally, psychologically. Noone derserves for their life to be cut short, or to watch helplessly until a loved one has no more fight left to give. Please consider donating to my ride, because every family who walks through those doors feeling nervous and afraid deserves to walk out someday feeling grateful. Thank you for your support, I will never be able to fully express how much it means to me.
This August I will be returning to ride alongside Team Fitz in my second PMC, an 162 mile bike ride from Wellesley to Provincetown.
I wrote the following “why I ride” back in 2018 in preparation for my first PMC, fresh off my own battle with cancer. While so much has changed for me in those 6 intervening years (marriage, career, two spunky babies), my gratitude for the Dana-Farber has remained.
Early in my treatment a friend said to me, “You’re not going to be the only one, you’re just the first of us.” Unfortunately, she was right. Since that day cancer has come for friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers whose stories have touched my heart. Most recently, and what has brought me back to the PMC, was the diagnosis of our friends’ 4 year old son, and Team Fitz “pedal partner” Owen, who is currently undergoing treatment for B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. At almost the same time a lifelong friend’s young niece began her own battle with lymphoma. It seems never ending, and the DFCI needs our help to find a cure. Please consider donating to our ride.
2018:
It is unbeliveably hard for me to put into words exactly what the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute means to me. During my first trip through those doors on May 16, 2016 it was fear, anxiety, and disbelief. I left that day with a diagnosis of Ewing Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer, at just 29 years old. Yesterday, as I walked through those same doors for what feels like the millionth time, my overwhelming feeling was gratitude. I am now 19 months cancer free.
This August, I will have the privledge of riding in my first PMC as a member of Team Fitz. 100% of rider-raised dollars goes directly to providing the DFCI and the Jimmy Fund with the resources necessary to continue life-saving research and treatment. It is because of this very research and treatment that I am sitting here today, alive, well, and stuggling to organize my thoughts into a compelling bio.
I have many, many memories of the time I have spent at DFCI, some of them are painful, others vague and blurred by medication, but the majority are uplifting. I am riding because I am grateful, and I am grateful for so much. I am grateful for the infusion nurses who never failed to make me laugh even if I wanted to cry, who treated me like I was 'normal' when I felt anything but. I am grateful for the surgeon who donated her time, and shuffled her operating schedule to perform a procedure that insurance would not cover. I am grateful for my medical oncologist who never once talked about time or survival as if they were anything but garunteed. I am grateful for the volunteers who brought books to read, and performed reiki when I couldn't relax. I am grateful for the lunch lady who always stayed for a chat when I wasn't feeling well enough to eat. I am grateful to my classmates who sent study guides, who stayed late to help me with labwork so that I wouldn't fall behind. I am grateful that I am fortunate enough to live in a city where world class care is around the corner, that my sisters, friends, and fiance could walk from work to have lunch with me. I am grateful for every card, visit, dinner, sudoku and well wish that came my way. I am grateful for cancer, becuase cancer showed me the depth of human kindness and compassion, and I will value that always.
Far too many people will suffer because of this horrible disease, physically, emotionally, psychologically. Noone derserves for their life to be cut short, or to watch helplessly until a loved one has no more fight left to give. Please consider donating to my ride, because every family who walks through those doors feeling nervous and afraid deserves to walk out someday feeling grateful. Thank you for your support, I will never be able to fully express how much it means to me.
| 2024 | $6,060.51 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
| 2018 | $6,250.00 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
