Dear Friends and Family,

This weekend -- August 7th and 8th -- I'm joining over 6,500 cyclists 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 last year, due to the pandemic, the PMC is offering a reimagined ride option, in which participants plot their own routes and honor the PMC weekend in whatever way feels right. This is the option I chose when I registered in January.

Much like last year, cancer didn't take this year off just because we're still in a pandemic. I'm consistently reminded of this fact as I watch friends and family members persist through their battles and treatment programs. Thankfully, though, cancer research didn't take the year off either.

You know those state-of-the-art mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna that were brought to market in record time and have significantly blunted the worst outcomes of COVID-19? The technology that powers these vaccines wasn't discovered in a Eureka moment sometime last February: it was the product of decades of thorough research, testing, and validation. This is also why, year after year, I continue to ride in the PMC and support cancer research at Dana-Farber. One step, one mile at a time, we draw closer to the next as-yet-unknowable advancement that will later be hailed as a breakthrough treatment or therapy in retrospect. But we actually have to travel that journey in order to arrive at the destination.

So with that in mind: I'm not taking this year off either. Here's my plan for PMC 2021:

• Date: Saturday, August 7th (rain date Sunday)
• Route: 50+ miles through the western Boston suburbs
• Fundraising: Shooting for $3150 again in memory of my dad
• Matching: Tripadvisor and I will match up to the first $100 of every donation received through August 20th.

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 that you can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you once again for your support and encouragement. Stay safe, stay healthy.

Brian