August 2-3, 2025
Dear Friends and Family,
Another year brings my 18th Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride. One thing I know for sure, it will be my favorite weekend of the summer. What I don’t know is what mother nature will bring to the event. Rain, sun, heat, humidity, wind (probably a head wind), cool or her usual combination of conditions. This year’s letter will have two parts. The first is a family update followed by another reason for which fund raising for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) is so important.
To start the family update Judi and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. A very nice and low key dinner out was really the extent of our celebration. However, we are still planning on getting away together at some point. But the result of the wedding way back when are two beautiful, very different and very exciting daughters. They have been nice enough to share 4 energetic, inquisitive, fun grandchildren. They keep us busy on both coasts of the country. Everyone is getting bigger, stronger, smarter and more adorable with each passing day. My 3 siblings and I still enjoy one of the only good things to come out of the pandemic. Every two weeks or so we zoom together to catch up with family news, gossip and information we need to share. Last year we planned our traditional family Christmas gathering through these zoom calls.
My PMC ride will once again be with the Patriot Platelet Pedalers (PPP). This group is the largest PMC team and their money goes directly to Dr. Ken Anderson. Last year I mentioned my brother was dealing with Multiple Myeloma. He is doing incredibly well with one of the drugs developed at DFCI under the direction of Dr. Ken Anderson. His research developed medications that have radically changed the treatment of Multiple Myeloma so that today, for many patients, it has become more of a chronic disease rather than a short-term downhill slide after very unpleasant chemotherapy. And as Dr. Anderson has said, he envisions a time in the not-too-distant future when further research will result in the cure of this disease. His research and development are also opening new doors for other researchers to make great strides in the development and care for those with other forms of cancer.
But all of this has come under a cloud of some uncertainty. Please read this statement from the PMC Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr given at the recent Heavy Hitter Celebration Dinner: “My closing comments address this year’s record goal in a climate of economic uncertainty and science under attack. A proposed 40% cut to the NIH budget, billions of which could impact Massachusetts. The negative impact to Dana-Farber could be$50 million, and as much as $200 million over the next four years. NIH grants fuel the science that saves lives. These funds do not sit in an endowment, they’re at work in the labs and clinics of the Longwood Medical Area. Losing those funds and/or the people who utilize them means stalling progress. Risking jobs. Slowing the momentum in our fight against cancer. This is not politics. This is personal. Because when federal support is under attack, patients are the ones who pay the price. That is why what you do – what we do – matters more than ever. We are the largest single contributor to Dana-Farber. And when others may pump the brakes, the PMC community needs to accelerate. So yes, we ride to raise money. But as importantly, we ride to protect progress. We ride to defend hope. And we ride to ensure that nothing—and no one—stands in the way of our funding the cures for cancer.”
I humbly ask you to help me out with the fund raising again this year. My goal is to raise at least $10,000. As always 100% of all the money we raise together goes directly to the DFCI and specifically to Dr. Anderson and his team. Your tax-deductible donation can be made in several ways: a check made out to “PMC/Jimmy Fund” can be sent directly to me at the address below. Or you can go directly to my PMC donation page. (pmc.org and search for my profile page). Once there, you can use your credit card, Venmo or DAFpay to make your donation. You can also go to my Facebook Fundraising page. Donations can be made any time until October 1, 2025.
Many years have led me through many miles and changes as to why I’m still out on the road. I continue to ride with the names of my parents, my brother, my colleagues, my athletes and so many others on my jersey. Everyone struggles to get past the challenge of cancer and everyone needs help. This is my way to reach out and provide some assistance. You can dedicate your donation to someone you know who has been affected. Last year, I rode with over 100 names of the friends and family members who have helped support this ride. Contact me and I would gladly add their name(s) to my jersey. Together we ride!
Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions or just want to say hi. I hope you can join in with me and I thank you for any support you can provide.
Yours,
BOB
Bob Newcomb Pan Mass Challenge
87 North Whitney Street 501(3)c Certified Organization
Amherst, MA 01002 Federal Tax ID # 04-2746912
413-695-3186
bobnewcomb31@gmail.com INSTAGRAM- bobnewcomb31
FACEBOOK- Bob Newcomb
