This is my 1st year riding in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), a 162 mile bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research. Though a newbie to this, I have thought about riding for years now. There are many reasons that I chose this year to ride, but I will share just a few.
It has been 8 years since my mom passed away from a rare cancer, leiomyosarcoma. As it turns out, 8 is my lucky number. The time is right for me to honor her with this ride. To me, my mother was perfect. She taught me about living and about loving. She showed incredible strength through her life and throughout her journey with cancer, always dignified and as determined as she was optimistic. She beat cancer for at least a little while…and for the time that she did, what a fight it was. She started driving again. She started walking gain. She even started dancing again. In the end, she taught me about grace.
Statistics say that 2 of every 5 Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lives. 2 in 5 hits close to home…and close to the heart. Not only did my mother die from cancer, but in 2022 my father did as well. My father was the consummate family man. His family was the center of this world. His focus was on providing for us. He pushed us as hard as he loved us. After a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, he moved to Boston to live with me and to be treated here to have access to the best care. Despite access to the best and most caring doctors and nurses and the best treatments, he succumbed to cancer just shy of one year after his diagnosis.
Though each of my parents were unlucky with their diagnoses, if winning is joy and grace, I won by having them as parents, companions, and friends. They were both kind, compassionate, nurturing, loyal, and loving (especially loving). Despite their diagnoses, they held on to hope. They believed in their treatments, they respected their care teams, and they believed that things would continue to get better for patients like them. I believe that, too.
Due to great research and care at institutions like Dana-Farber, life expectancies are longer, treatments are less invasive and remission rates are higher. Some are even “beating” cancer. I want to help make this the rule rather than the exception.
Despite the tremendous progress being made, many researchers do not have the money that they need to perform important research. Participating in this ride is one small way for me to contribute. 100% of every dollar donated to this cause goes directly to funding cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Among the many reasons to ride, I ride for the those who are battling cancer and its survivors, including my partner's mother, Patricia Buell, who is a 20+ year survivor of neuroendocrine cancer and her brother, Rick Buell, who just completed a successful stem cell transplant in his fight against AML. I ride for the countless friends who have lost or who are witnessing loved ones struggle through the physical and emotional toll that cancer takes. I ride for those who dedicate their lives to help eradicate this disease and who are working tirelessly towards cutting-edge cancer treatments and technologies. This year, though, I ride especially for my parents -- they continue to fill my heart and challenge me to do more and to do better.
This year, I won’t be riding alone. As Captain of the inaugural Team Wolf Pack, I am riding with over a dozen of my colleagues and friends to raise funds for cancer research and treatment at DFCI. My partner, Jen Buell, is riding with us, too. Through our work and in our lives, we have the privilege of knowing countless individuals who have made it their mission to blaze a path for patients and to contribute to science to help eradicate this disease. Each of us will be riding many miles over the course of one or two days to raise money for all the extraordinary work being done by the DFCI to fuel cutting-edge cancer research.
Those who know me well know how much I love a challenge. 162 miles in 2 days sounds like a good one to me. And while $6,000 is the minimum amount to fundraise, I hope to raise $8,000 this year…after all, that seems like a fitting number. I would appreciate your support in helping me get there. Every mile and every dollar counts.
With gratitude,
Christina
This is my 1st year riding in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), a 162 mile bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research. Though a newbie to this, I have thought about riding for years now. There are many reasons that I chose this year to ride, but I will share just a few.
It has been 8 years since my mom passed away from a rare cancer, leiomyosarcoma. As it turns out, 8 is my lucky number. The time is right for me to honor her with this ride. To me, my mother was perfect. She taught me about living and about loving. She showed incredible strength through her life and throughout her journey with cancer, always dignified and as determined as she was optimistic. She beat cancer for at least a little while…and for the time that she did, what a fight it was. She started driving again. She started walking gain. She even started dancing again. In the end, she taught me about grace.
Statistics say that 2 of every 5 Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lives. 2 in 5 hits close to home…and close to the heart. Not only did my mother die from cancer, but in 2022 my father did as well. My father was the consummate family man. His family was the center of this world. His focus was on providing for us. He pushed us as hard as he loved us. After a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, he moved to Boston to live with me and to be treated here to have access to the best care. Despite access to the best and most caring doctors and nurses and the best treatments, he succumbed to cancer just shy of one year after his diagnosis.
Though each of my parents were unlucky with their diagnoses, if winning is joy and grace, I won by having them as parents, companions, and friends. They were both kind, compassionate, nurturing, loyal, and loving (especially loving). Despite their diagnoses, they held on to hope. They believed in their treatments, they respected their care teams, and they believed that things would continue to get better for patients like them. I believe that, too.
Due to great research and care at institutions like Dana-Farber, life expectancies are longer, treatments are less invasive and remission rates are higher. Some are even “beating” cancer. I want to help make this the rule rather than the exception.
Despite the tremendous progress being made, many researchers do not have the money that they need to perform important research. Participating in this ride is one small way for me to contribute. 100% of every dollar donated to this cause goes directly to funding cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Among the many reasons to ride, I ride for the those who are battling cancer and its survivors, including my partner's mother, Patricia Buell, who is a 20+ year survivor of neuroendocrine cancer and her brother, Rick Buell, who just completed a successful stem cell transplant in his fight against AML. I ride for the countless friends who have lost or who are witnessing loved ones struggle through the physical and emotional toll that cancer takes. I ride for those who dedicate their lives to help eradicate this disease and who are working tirelessly towards cutting-edge cancer treatments and technologies. This year, though, I ride especially for my parents -- they continue to fill my heart and challenge me to do more and to do better.
This year, I won’t be riding alone. As Captain of the inaugural Team Wolf Pack, I am riding with over a dozen of my colleagues and friends to raise funds for cancer research and treatment at DFCI. My partner, Jen Buell, is riding with us, too. Through our work and in our lives, we have the privilege of knowing countless individuals who have made it their mission to blaze a path for patients and to contribute to science to help eradicate this disease. Each of us will be riding many miles over the course of one or two days to raise money for all the extraordinary work being done by the DFCI to fuel cutting-edge cancer research.
Those who know me well know how much I love a challenge. 162 miles in 2 days sounds like a good one to me. And while $6,000 is the minimum amount to fundraise, I hope to raise $8,000 this year…after all, that seems like a fitting number. I would appreciate your support in helping me get there. Every mile and every dollar counts.
With gratitude,
Christina
| 2025 | $0.00 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
| 2024 | $12,608.04 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
