The 41st PanMass Challenge (PMC) is just around the corner, and this year I will be saddling up for my 8th PMC as a proud member of Team Kermit. Last year, your generous support for my ride helped the PanMass Challenge set a fundraising record of over 63 million dollars, with every penny going directly to the fight against cancer. Our Team Kermit also had a record setting year, bringing in over $519,000 for the Sunflowers for Life Fund to fight pediatric brain and spinal tumors. We recently gathered for a Zoom Team Kermit presentation hosted by Dr. Mimi Bandopadhayay and her research staff who shared recent discoveries and advancements that have resulted in new lifesaving treatment protocols for pediatric brain cancer patients. Your generous contributions in support of my ride each year help make this happen. You should all be so very proud of the tremendous impact you are having on the lives of children and their families facing this terrible disease.

The longer I participate in the PanMass Challenge, the more I come to believe that it is less about the bike, and so much more about the cause and the community that keeps me coming back. Yes, I continue to love to ride, and I am so very thankful that I am healthy and able to train hard through the winter (thanks to my Zwift obsession). This year, due to our ongoing health pandemic, will be unlike any other. The PMC has transformed into a virtual event. There is no responsible way that 4,000 cyclists could take to the roads, even as restrictions begin to relax. While I will miss the energy and single minded purpose of the peloton of riders pedaling towards Provincetown in search of the cures for cancer, I will continue to train and put the miles in to be ready for a reimagined PMC on the first weekend of August. For those who may be interested, you can follow along with my training on the tab above starting on June 6th. Rest assured that Team Kermit will have a plan in place for PMC weekend that is safe and responsible. Miles will be ridden, and I hope you are able to be with me. I am so grateful for any amount that you are able to give during these particularly difficult times, for while many things have been cancelled, unfortunately cancer has not. You have all been so supportive of my efforts in the past, and I am certain that we will continue to make a meaningful contribution again this year.

For those of you who may not know, Team Kermit was formed in memory of Jared Branfman, who bravely fought brain and spinal tumors for 2 ½ years. 100% of the money raised by Team Kermit goes through the PMC and into the “Jared Branfman Sunflowers for Life Fund for Pediatric Brain and Spinal Cancer Research.” That means every dollar you donate goes directly to cancer research and not fundraising costs or overhead. Your donations fund critical research that directly impacts the outcomes for kids with cancer.

I can't develop the new drug that cures cancer, but I can certainly pedal a bike. No parent should lose a child to this disease, no child should be without their mom or dad. I am so very grateful for your past support of my efforts and look forward to welcoming you along for this year's Reimagined PMC. I continue to ride to honor the memories of my Mom and Dad. I also ride to remember my college roommates, Patricia Huse McVeigh, and Persis Gleason Elkins, whose diagnosis of a brain tumor led me to Team Kermit; as well as our Vermont neighbor Connie Seymour. All of these women were wonderful partners, moms, and tireless advocates for children and families. They are dearly missed.

This year, I will be matching your donations to my PMC ride and I hope that you all remain safe and healthy. Join me by donating to my PMC ride by using of the following links:

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