A month from now, I will be participating in the Pan Mass Challenge for the first time, which will consist of an 85-mile bike ride with the common goal of raising funds to fight cancer in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The PMC raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country, $972 million since 1980 and $72 million in 2023 alone! This success is the result of a lot of people riding for, and caring about, a cure.

I will be riding alongside some of my closest friends and family on Team Biker's Dozen, which has been designated to support the research for two types of pediatric brain tumors, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG) and Pediatric Low Grade Astrocytomas (PLGA) at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These funds have helped attract a level of scientific talent and a degree of focus on these diseases in the brain tumor research community that few thought possible. This research only exists on private funding — there is no federal funding, no National Institute of Health funding and no pharmaceutical funding. Biker's Dozen has raised over $4.5 million over the last twenty years for this important cause.

Dana-Farber has had a huge impact on my life and family. As many of you know, my mom is a two-time cancer survivor, diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2005 when I was 10 years old, and later received a stem cell transplant when the cancer relapsed in 2008. Because of the amazing doctors and treatment at Dana-Farber, my mom has been cancer free for 16 years! My uncle Ron Winarick, was treated for Melanoma at Dana Farber and tragically passed away in 2011 after fighting his cancer for many years. I miss him dearly and am grateful for the memories I have with him and his 3 kids as we grew up together. From watching my mom and Ron fight their cancer, I was able to see firsthand how vicious and life-altering cancer can be for those going through treatment and for their loved ones. My sister Hannah currently works for Dana-Farber in their Philanthropy division and works passionately on a daily basis to try to raise money for this important cause and organization.

I hope you are able to help support my fundraising goal this year and join me in the ride to fight cancer!