For Francesca and Ashton

In 2020 I had a beautiful baby girl, a girl whose birth brought an abundance of light and levity to an otherwise bleak and chaotic year. It was during one of those bleary middle of the night feeding sessions so familiar to new parents that I stumbled upon Francesca. With those big brown eyes and gummy smile she was an oasis in the sea of covid and political posts. I was immediately drawn in. Through her father's posts I learned that Francesca was recently diagnosed with with a life threatening brain tumor, one that required extensive medical intervention, invasive surgeries and long hospital stays. Childhood cancer was far from the relative anomaly I had always assumed, instead through Andrew’s advocacy I learned that it is the leading cause of death by disease among children 0-14, with 43 children diagnosed each day. Looking down at my own sleeping infant, I could only imagine their pain, and even that was excruciating. I felt powerless and yet compelled to do something. I continued to follow her story. When I learned of Francesca’s passing on Christmas Eve that resolve was strengthened. I started looking for ways to help, in honor of the beautiful Beans with the big brown eyes. I decided to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge as a member of Team Beans.

Over the few months I made Francesca’s “acquaintance” I learned so much not only about pediatric cancer but about what really matters, and it has made me a stronger and more present parent. I want to pay that forward and to be a part of the effort to find a cure so that no parent or child has to endure that devastation. Please help me reach my goal!

I'm a proud supporter of the PMC because it is leading a charge to beat cancer. In fact, last year 100% of rider-raised revenue went directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure.