First, I want to thank our family and friends for their support throughout our daughter Kate's breat cancer treatment. Knowing that people are available to lean on has been priceless!
We have discovered through Kate's diagnosis that some of us are carriers of the BRCA 1 gene mutation which puts those of us with it, at a much higher risk for certain types of cancer.
Beyond Kate's diagnosis and treatment, my sister Dottie has gone through treatment for uterine cancer as well.
Previous to this year, I have always counted my blessings that we were never directly effected by cancer.
Given this year and all that Kate and Dot and all my other people have been through, I will ride the Pan-Mass Challenge. For them! For what they have gone through and continue to go through. I have see first hand the challenges that go along with treating cancer.
I have had the honor to meet the Doctors who dedicate their lives to helping our loved ones persevere through treatments.
If you can, and I know we have asked a lot of our network this year, I would appreciate your financial support as I dedicate my two ride to helping figure out how to better detect and treat this horrible desease!

A little bit about the Pan-Mass Challenge:

I'm a proud participant in the Pan-Mass Challenge - a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country - to bring us Closer by the Mile to a cure for cancer.

Since its founding in 1980, PMC riders like me have raised more than $1 billion for lifesaving cancer research, treatment and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the country's top cancer care hospitals. My PMC is making a difference in the lives of patients at Dana-Farber and around the world. The funds I raise support the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists in their search for cures for cancers and related diseases.

100 percent of every dollar I raise goes directly to Dana-Farber, meaning that your donation has a real impact! Please donate to my PMC fundraising and help me reach my fundraising goal.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read about why I am riding!!