John Buchta and I met in the Fall of 2010 at the George Washington University, and he's remained one of my best friends over the past decade+ from DC to Boston and myriad locations in between. 

In April 2021, in the midst of yet another Covid wave, John ("Buchta" to our friend circle) was diagnosed with Familial GIST-a painful and rare type of gastrointestinal tumor. Buchta got lucky and the tumor was not nearly as aggressive as it could have been; although he suffered some post-surgery complications, the surgeons were able to remove the most troubling tumor from Buchta's small intestine and he's made a full recovery. Buchta's not only been able to regain his strength, he's also pushing himself and a dozen of his friends to get in shape and ride the Pan-Mass Challenge with him. We're excited to support Buchta and raise tens of thousands of dollars to support specific research into Familial GIST in the hopes that no future friends and family will have to see their loved one suffer from this disease.

If you'd like to hear from Buchta himself, feel free to check out his video: https://vimeo.com/585368767

Thank you for visiting and donating!

Dan