Dear Friends and Family,
Not that you needed another reminder, but: This Year is Different™
For the last three years, I've spent the first Saturday in August joining over 6,000 cyclists and 4,000 volunteers participating in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon that donates 100% of every rider-raised dollar to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Like many other large-scale events planned for this year, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced the PMC to change its plans. Rather than cancelling the event outright, though, the organizers have encouraged participants to reimagine this year's campaign in whatever way feels safe and appropriate.
In all honesty, I've struggled a lot with the question of what feels like an appropriate PMC campaign this year, given the immense and widespread suffering, anxiety, and frustration that many of us are feeling right now due to COVID-19 and the preexisting tensions that it has aggravated. I've also struggled with finding the time, energy, and motivation in many of my extracurricular pursuits since my dad passed away in April after a skiing accident, weeks after we had discussed the idea of riding in the PMC together some day.
However, as the PMC organizers have reminded us repeatedly: cancer didn't take the year off. On top of everything else that has happened in the past year, this is something our family knows unfortunately well. Perhaps yours does, too.
So, here is my plan for a PMC Reimagined in 2020:
- Two days: August 1st and 2nd
- Two rides: 31 miles each (honoring my dad's 70th birthday on March 1st)
- Together: I'll match up to the first $70 of every donation received through August 31st
All proceeds will benefit Dr. Kenneth Anderson's Multiple Myeloma Research Fund at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Anderson's research has led to novel immune therapies and effective treatments for colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer, among others. Any amount would be greatly appreciated, but if you feel inclined to join me in honoring my dad, donations of $31, $50, or $70 would be particularly symbolic.
Thank you once again for your support and encouragement. Stay safe, stay healthy.
Brian
