The 43rd PanMass Challenge (PMC) is on the horizon, and this year I will be saddling up for my 10th PMC as a member of Team Kermit. Last year, despite the ongoing Covid pandemic, your generous support for my PMC ride helped the PanMass Challenge raise over $64 million, with every penny going directly to the fight against cancer. Team Kermit had another record-setting year, donating $596,399 to the Sunflowers for Life Fund to fight pediatric brain and spinal tumors. During a November Zoom call, the Dana Farber team updated us on their latest research, which is producing great strides in the treatment of pediatric brain tumors. Your generous contributions in support of my ride each year help make these advances happen. You can all be very proud of the tremendous impact you are having on the lives of children and their families facing this terrible disease.

Last year’s combination of re-imagined PMC rides with teammates and a PMC Wellesley Century kept the PMC spirit alive and reminded us of the importance of our cause. To honor the 42nd PMC, I rode over 420 miles during the course of the PMC week. This year will look and feel like the traditional PMC that we love, but with changes to keep us all safe and healthy. On the first weekend of August, I will set off from Sturbridge to Bourne with teammates and strangers all sharing the common goal to find cures to cancer. Saturday night will be spent in the dorms of the Mass Maritime Academy where I'll have the chance to catch up with my teammates, especially Stephanie, the amazing mom of Declan, our pedal partner. Declan has just completed kindergarten and continues to live his best life even as his family and clinical team continue to look for better treatments to halt progression of his tumor and manage his seizures.

Personally, this year has been a bit of a challenge for me, with a move to the North shore and a few non-cycling related injuries that have limited my training time. These bumps in the road for me are nothing compared to the challenges faced by Declan and his family on a daily basis. To help me through this year, I am adopting Billy Starr's motto of “Commit, you'll figure it out!”

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 am so very grateful for your past support of my efforts and look forward to welcoming you along for this year's 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 these women were wonderful partners, moms, and tireless advocates for children and families. They are dearly missed.

Please join me by donating to my PMC ride by using one of the following links:

Donate $25
Donate $50
Donate $100
Donate $250
Click here to donate any amount