This year I will be riding my 11th Pan Mass Challenge (PMC).  A 200mile ride across Massachusetts to raise money to fight cancer.  I want to thank you for all of your encouragement and support over the years.  With your help, last year our team the ‘Fraid Knots eclipsed the million dollar mark – with every dime of that going directly towards cancer research and care.  This year, the PMC overall is on track to have raised over one billion.

No other athletic fundraising event raises more money than the Pan Mass. The purpose of the Challenge is to raise money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and to provide Dana-Faber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers. With this mission in mind, I have pledged to raise over $8,000 (100% of which goes to the charity, separate corporate donation streams fund the ride’s organization). A donation from you, of any amount, will help me reach my goal!

To be sure, this isn’t a “fun-ride”. 200 miles over two days is grueling and the training rides leading up to the event take precious time away from family and friends. So why do I do this ride? The first year, I had a very ‘present’ reason to do the Pan Mass. My next door neighbor’s son – same age as my twin girls – was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Every day I witnessed his struggle and the torture his parents went through. And every day I was inspired by Charlie’s strength. He is the namesake of our team, “the ‘Fraid Knots”. During his treatment his inspirational song was “I am not afraid”, by Eminem. The week before we rode that year Charlie got the all-clear.

While Charlie was our inspiration that year and the years to follow, I also ride for my dad, who died from cancer at just 68, my uncle, my brother-in-law who passed away at 40, my sister-in-law that beat cancer, a niece who succumbed to a rare childhood cancer at just 10 yrs old, good friend Chris Kirk who recently lost his battle with Pancreatic Cancer this past year, and all the people we all know that have suffered from this disease.

I also ride for my wife Heather. As too many of you know, receiving the news that “it’s Cancer”, turns your life upside down in ways you can’t imagine. That year sucked. No better way to put it. That said, she received incredible care from a fantastic care team that make sacrifices every day to treat patients like her. So, if a sore butt and a bit of sweat can help them and contribute to help put an end to this insipid disease, I am all in!

So, thanks for hearing my ‘plea’. Absolutely no pressure here!  However, if you would like to support the Challenge, Dana-Farber, and me, donating is easy –just go to https://donate.pmc.org/CW0148 and it will walk you through the process.  Please know that 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to research cures for cancer. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -- Margaret Mead

Chip Wilkerson

PMC ID# CW0148

5 Fairway Drive

Barrington, RI 02806