Hello Friends. Thank you for visiting Dave's donation page. Don't let the word donation scare you
away, click on the Read More for my full message and links. Also, click on the family photo to
see last year's ride!
Posted July 2017
My elementary school spanned from Kindergarten to 8th grade. So with some fanfare, we had a graduation program at the end of 8th grade. Our theme song was from Diana Ross, “Do you know where you’re going to”, also known as the theme from Ebony.
My experience with stage 4 lung cancer reminds me of this song, which to me, discusses the uncertainty of the future. In my cancer treatment, back in December 2013, I had initially a severe downturn, and then had a clinical trial medicine that both saved my life and saved me from the nausea of chemo for 3 years. Briefly, I wondered if the shrunken tumors showing up on the scans were only digital artifacts, necrotic tissue of the tumors. Then I relapsed this past Fall and require further chemo over the winter. Sadly, the cancer was still there, evolving in a way that the medicine couldn’t block it. So when my oncologist offered me another chance at a clinical trial in May 2017, I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, this week we discovered that the second clinical trial drug was offered initially at too low a dose, and I didn’t benefit from it. As a result, my lung cancer has spread extensively to my liver, and progressed in my brain. Ironically, my lungs are about the same with just a few tumors.
So, it is with huge regrets that I won’t be able to ride the PMC this year. Like many others, I’ll be a “Virtual Rider” raising funds although not directly participating in the ride. For the past two years, I found the bike riding, and related training to be therapeutic. This bike ride was literally the best part of my summer. No one is sorrier than I that I am not able to do the PMC this year.
However, I’m still fundraising, as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is working on many life-saving cancer medicines. All the money I raise is ear-marked for Lung Cancer research. Who knows, there is still a chance cancer can be eradicated in my lifetime, on in my kid’s lifetime. So Even though I can’t directly ride this year, I will ask if you can find some funds to help the DFCI. I sincerely thank you for your consideration.
Thank you for reading my letter,
David Sach
Posted January 7, 2017, update (Click the Read More link!)
I just signed up for the 2017 ride! This year will be different; I am not only using a targeted medicine (Alcensa), but I've also been getting chemotherapy. The down side is that the fatigue hasbeen much greater, and I'm constantly feeling cold. On the plus side, no one is looking forward to Summer more than I! So I'm hoping the progression I've experienced gets knocked down, and I'll be able to ride again as soon as the temperatures hit 55!
Posted Aug 2016, post ride report
What a truly great ride this was! We had beautiful weather, a great route, lots a good food, and many rest stops. Imagine the logistics of safely moving/monitoring thousands of riders over several routes, once a year! Incredible! My only complaint was that it is only a two day ride! (Next year I hope to be well enough to ride on Day Zero optional ride from the New York border to Sturbridge the day before the actual ride). Once again I met so many really nice people, and met other cancer survivors as well as people affected by cancer. My hope is we find a way to end this disease, and eliminate the impact it has on so many families. I don't know if I can adequately describe what this ride has done for me, as a patient, in treatment, with lung cancer. On the one hand, it allows me to feel like I am giving back a small token amount to a great medical team (although I'm treated at MGH, my oncologist does research at DFCI). Just as important, it gives me a reason to train all spring and summer. So, you might say I help the PMC, and the PMC helps me.
But to describe the ride, especially as a cancer patient. All I can really say is, WOW! To think there are more than 6,300 riders, all interested in raising money and helping such a great cause. And to see the pictures of the pediatric cancer patients that line the course, the Pedal Partners, and the folks holding signs that thank riders for saving their mom/dad/auntie/themself is very touching. Please know this ride isn't about me looking for a cure for my cancer, it is simply a small way I return a favor to the folks that saved my life.
And finally, my thank you to the many people who are my supporters, some know me very well, others know my family or my friends better and know me only a bit. But my biggest thanks goes to all of you, because without your support, I wouldn't be here at the starting line! Thank you all so much!
Posted July 2016 (Click the Read More link!)
I want to thank all my family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances (aka contributors, hopefully you!) for helping me reach my fundraising goal last year. This year, I am far behind in my fundraising goal and need your help to get to the starting line!
I was going to write a brand new message for this year, but I liked my earlier posts so much I decided to leave them up and simply add to them. What’s important is to realize that anyone can get cancer, regardless of how healthy you think you are. If you know me, you know that I enjoyed excercising and being outside. Running, biking, cross country skiing are only a few activities that I love. So when I was diagnosed, it was a complete shock. But with my family and friends supporting me, we are managing well.
About the PMC: This ride is such a meaningful experience for me. I have learned of so many others who have done remarkably well despite having advanced cancer. That gives me so much hope! And the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is such a fantastic facility. No wonder my oncologist does research there! But in order to ride, I need to raise funds. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll help me, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, once again. Any contribution greater than zero is appreciated, and helps get me to the starting line. And 100% of money raised by riders goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Read the rest of my bio, and check out the links that I included below. And remember, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer!
Sincerely,
David Sachs
Posted October 15 (Click the Read More link!)
THANK YOU! (video links below!)
For helping researchers find a cure for lung cancer. Your donation to the Pan Mass Challenge is being directed to the Lowe Center of Thoracic Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As part of Team Lungstrong I hope to live in a world without lung cancer.
Feel free to browse through, and don’t forget to look at the photos on the left hand side (the link for Photos is small, but a lot of fun). Although it’s not really a “blog”, the postings are in chronological order from when I started fundraising in 2015 to finishing the bike ride. I added the following videos and links to help people understand my clinical trial and treatment. I also included the link for my fundraising team, Team Lungstrong, as well as the Team Lungstrong website (the team has raised more than 1.5 MILLION dollars for lung cancer research)! As you will see, lung cancer research has made big advances in the last 10 years!
Lung Cancer and Molecular Testing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOjn65406zI
Introduction to ALK inhibitors by my oncologist Dr. Lecia Sequist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeVb_MEW2jw
Brigatinib (my inhibitor) is best in class as an ALK inhibitor (according to the principal investigator)!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3LEXZW9_P4
Dr. Pasi Jänne talks about his work at DFCI Research:
www.youtu.be/DvJXVvQmySE
Dr. Bruce Johnson, director of the Lowe Center for Lung Cancer at DFCI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvM3wsGlfgs
Mass General Research with Diane Legg, Founder of Team Lungstrong (can you spot me in my yellow fleece jacket?)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGssyvXwl4&feature=youtu.be
Lungstrong Home Page
www.lungstrong.org/
PMC Lungstrong Team
www2.pmc.org/profile/TL0096
I’m posting this on Monday August 3rd the day after the 2015 Pan Mass Challenge (PMC)
Wow, what an exceptional ride! The weather was great, the route was fantastic, and there was plenty of food and water at every rest stop! Yesterday I completed my bike ride and I was overwhelmed by everyone that was involved in putting this together. Imagine the logistics to get 6,000 riders to follow directions, stay hydrated, eat enough, and have facilities to house them. Fantastic! And the riders and volunteers I met were incredible too: father-son teams, husband-wife teams (meaning riding together, although not necessarily on tandem bikes), and so many people who were touched by cancer. There was even a survivor who biked with one leg! And all along the course, people came out and cheered us on. So many children affected by cancer, it really made me sad. But the outpouring of support -that really blew me away. All the people that I met at the PMC were just the greatest folks. Since being diagnosed 20 months ago with lung cancer, this was the most moving experience I’ve had.
Thank you to all my “sponsors” (aka contributors)! If it were not for you, I would not have been able to do it. The PMC ride has a rather high donation requirement, and with your help I succeeded! A special acknowledgement to my Mother in Law Toby, who was a tireless cheerleader and rallied everyone she knows to help support me. Thank you Toby and thank you all!
About the PMC ride. I have probably done more bicycle riding this summer than the previous 10 summers combined. Almost all my training was on my own, and not with a group. (How many of your friends really want to do another 50-80 mile training ride?). This ride was perfect for me because it is not a race. You could easily tell that some riders were proficient cyclists, and the ride for them was not a major challenge. I'm sure that other people are putting their bikes away right now for next year, they are a bit done with bicycling for this summer! Some fundraising teams rode together in a pace line. A number of times I was able to draft behind the last rider and pick up my speed without over exerting myself! But too frequently, a hill would appear, and I didn’t have enough reserve to stay with the group. I would start going into what I call “oxygen deprivation” mode, and I’d frantically try to shift to a lower gear. But guess what? I was already in the lowest gear! So, I’d crest the hill and recover, and the good news was that with so many riders, another pace line would come by and I’d tag along again. I rode with the “Bikers Dozen” made up of a group I rode with from Bedford, L.E.K. Consulting, and two guys with dice on their helmets (I forgot their team name). There were other riders that I rode and chatted with as well, and the mostly women from “Stem Cell Cyclists (all the riders I met with this shirt were women, but when I asked one, she said there were several men on the team). But it was also enjoyable to ride alone too. When riding alone, you can enjoy your surroundings better, look around and enjoy the scenery. It gave me a chance to think, and to reflect about how very fortunate I have been. I'm in a very small sub-group of lung cancer patients that can get out and go for a bicycle ride. Alternatively, when riding in a pace line, you are always vigilant about maintaining a small gap between your front tire and the back wheel of the person you are drafting. Even the professional riders occasionally touch wheels and crash, and riding with a group of unknown riders increases risk. But what a thrill to ride at 25 miles an hour instead of 15! It was great! And simply being part of the event was so gratifying!
A word of thanks to the team I raised money with, Team Lungstrong! In a weird way I stumbled upon this group of people who have already been riding and raising money specifically for lung cancer research. Dianne Legg, the founder, is a 10 year lung cancer survivor, and her example gives me hope and confidence. My teammates are really fantastic, and helped me feel welcome. Yeah Team Lungstrong!
A funny moment of the Pan Mass Challenge: The primary challenge is the fundraising. Everyone knows that. But how did I miss the part that said we would start riding in Bourne at 5:30 in the morning? I understand it, they closed a lane on the Bourne Bridge for cyclists, and better to start the ride at 5:30 AM on the weekend rather than at 9:30. But how did I overlook the announcement that there was a 4:20 revelry? I found out the night before, as everyone was turning in at 8:30 PM. I guess next year I’ll be better prepared!
Wait, I forgot a big Thank You. A big thank you belongs to Julie, and my kids. They allowed me the time to train for this (which was more time than most people would need, since I’m slower). In addition to all my other time riding, they let me go out on the two weekends prior to the PMC, which really helped me out! Thank you Julie, Harrison, and Becca!
Thank you everyone! It was a great weekend.
Dave
Here is my update that I sent to my online contributors on July 26th:
If you have a friend or relative who has or had cancer, send me their names and I will write their names on my bike. Since being diagnosed 19 months ago, a number of people I have met have already passed away, so this ride is in part a tribute to them, as well as to all cancer survivors.
Next weekend is the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC). On Saturday and Sunday I’ll be bicycling 80+ miles each day, and I’m looking forward to every minute of it! This event means a lot to me. Since being diagnosed with lung cancer, I can truly say “I have skin in this game”. It’s not just an abstract event for me, my oncologist does research with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
For the past several months, I’ve been logging a lot of miles on my bike in preparation for the PMC. I’ve had a lot of great rides, learned a bit about my new limits, and even had a memorable flat tire in the middle of black fly season. I’ve also learned how to use my cellphone as a GPS, and learned to carry an extra battery in case my phone dies. And yes, I’ve even used the phone to call Julie to pick me up when I was hopelessly lost and too tired to make it home!
Here is my original posting
This August I will be riding in my first Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) with Team LungStrong. With your help, we can surpass 1 million dollars in total raised since the inception of Team LungStrong. 100% of your tax deductible donation will go to The Lowe Center of Thoracic Oncology at Dana Farber.
I hope you will be moved to action when you hear my story. If not, at least you'll know some things that I wish I had known earlier. For example, everyone can get lung cancer, not just smokers, coal miners, and asbestos workers. Years of watching TV ads telling me not to smoke actually worked, I never smoked and yet, I am now a lung cancer patient. Jeez, I thought this only happened to other people!
On 12/31/2013, I found out I have lung cancer. Like most lung cancer patients, the disease had already spread through my body. I am stage 4. Wow, that was shocking! I was too weak to pick up my first and second grade children, had a chronic cough, and lost a lot of weight. Did you know lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon cancer combined? If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. A woman who never smoked is twice as likely to die from lung cancer as breast cancer. And yet, lung cancer gets less federal funding for research than any of those other cancers. Everyone knows what pink ribbons are for, but lung cancer ribbons are either clear (invisible) or white. Can you name another cancer where people inherently think you’ve brought this on yourself?
So it’s been a bit over a year. My initial chemotherapy made me more sick, not better. I’m now on a clinical trial (a shout out to Ariad Pharmaceuticals- thank you for AP26113-Brigatinib my miracle medicine!). In a year, my tumor load has decreased 77%, and still shrinking. Now I’d like to give back, and help raise money for lung cancer research. With your help, we can beat this disease.
I am participating in the Pan Mass Challenge this August. Last year, I was still too sick and didn’t have a chance to even go bike riding and this year, I will be happy to simply finish the ride at my new, slower pace. But the PMC is not just a ride for me; breakthroughs in cancer research happen only when there is funding. The PMC allocates 100% of the funds raised to the Jimmy Fund. And Team LungStrong, the group I'm riding with, has secured a promise that ALL of the money raised by the team will be ear marked for lung cancer research.
My situation is unusual, to say the least. I still have lung cancer. I am still fighting this disease. I still sometimes need to take naps. Back in April 2014, if I had half the number of tumors in my lungs, body, and brain I would still be a stage 4 lung cancer patient. And while this miracle medicine has bought me some quality time, it is not a cure. My trial team warned me that this type of medicine works great at the start, and then simply holds its own, and eventually the cancer finds a way to bypass it. I have had a great year of improvement, and am grateful for it. The medicine is still shrinking my tumors and while the shrinkage is getting smaller, it has not stopped. But I’m not cured, not yet. And if I don’t ride this year, I may not get a second chance. With you generous support, Team Lungstrong will be able to donate much needed funds toward research that is directly changing the lives of thousands of lung cancer patients. You can help us be a part of the solution and help to raise funds so that the brilliant researchers that work toward a cure every day have the resources to succeed.
I've made a personal commitment to ride and would like to raise $12,000. I hope you can help me achieve this significant goal.
Thank you! Dave Sachs
Hello Friends. Thank you for visiting Dave's donation page. Don't let the word donation scare you
away, click on the Read More for my full message and links. Also, click on the family photo to
see last year's ride!
Posted July 2017
My elementary school spanned from Kindergarten to 8th grade. So with some fanfare, we had a graduation program at the end of 8th grade. Our theme song was from Diana Ross, “Do you know where you’re going to”, also known as the theme from Ebony.
My experience with stage 4 lung cancer reminds me of this song, which to me, discusses the uncertainty of the future. In my cancer treatment, back in December 2013, I had initially a severe downturn, and then had a clinical trial medicine that both saved my life and saved me from the nausea of chemo for 3 years. Briefly, I wondered if the shrunken tumors showing up on the scans were only digital artifacts, necrotic tissue of the tumors. Then I relapsed this past Fall and require further chemo over the winter. Sadly, the cancer was still there, evolving in a way that the medicine couldn’t block it. So when my oncologist offered me another chance at a clinical trial in May 2017, I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, this week we discovered that the second clinical trial drug was offered initially at too low a dose, and I didn’t benefit from it. As a result, my lung cancer has spread extensively to my liver, and progressed in my brain. Ironically, my lungs are about the same with just a few tumors.
So, it is with huge regrets that I won’t be able to ride the PMC this year. Like many others, I’ll be a “Virtual Rider” raising funds although not directly participating in the ride. For the past two years, I found the bike riding, and related training to be therapeutic. This bike ride was literally the best part of my summer. No one is sorrier than I that I am not able to do the PMC this year.
However, I’m still fundraising, as the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is working on many life-saving cancer medicines. All the money I raise is ear-marked for Lung Cancer research. Who knows, there is still a chance cancer can be eradicated in my lifetime, on in my kid’s lifetime. So Even though I can’t directly ride this year, I will ask if you can find some funds to help the DFCI. I sincerely thank you for your consideration.
Thank you for reading my letter,
David Sach
Posted January 7, 2017, update (Click the Read More link!)
I just signed up for the 2017 ride! This year will be different; I am not only using a targeted medicine (Alcensa), but I've also been getting chemotherapy. The down side is that the fatigue hasbeen much greater, and I'm constantly feeling cold. On the plus side, no one is looking forward to Summer more than I! So I'm hoping the progression I've experienced gets knocked down, and I'll be able to ride again as soon as the temperatures hit 55!
Posted Aug 2016, post ride report
What a truly great ride this was! We had beautiful weather, a great route, lots a good food, and many rest stops. Imagine the logistics of safely moving/monitoring thousands of riders over several routes, once a year! Incredible! My only complaint was that it is only a two day ride! (Next year I hope to be well enough to ride on Day Zero optional ride from the New York border to Sturbridge the day before the actual ride). Once again I met so many really nice people, and met other cancer survivors as well as people affected by cancer. My hope is we find a way to end this disease, and eliminate the impact it has on so many families. I don't know if I can adequately describe what this ride has done for me, as a patient, in treatment, with lung cancer. On the one hand, it allows me to feel like I am giving back a small token amount to a great medical team (although I'm treated at MGH, my oncologist does research at DFCI). Just as important, it gives me a reason to train all spring and summer. So, you might say I help the PMC, and the PMC helps me.
But to describe the ride, especially as a cancer patient. All I can really say is, WOW! To think there are more than 6,300 riders, all interested in raising money and helping such a great cause. And to see the pictures of the pediatric cancer patients that line the course, the Pedal Partners, and the folks holding signs that thank riders for saving their mom/dad/auntie/themself is very touching. Please know this ride isn't about me looking for a cure for my cancer, it is simply a small way I return a favor to the folks that saved my life.
And finally, my thank you to the many people who are my supporters, some know me very well, others know my family or my friends better and know me only a bit. But my biggest thanks goes to all of you, because without your support, I wouldn't be here at the starting line! Thank you all so much!
Posted July 2016 (Click the Read More link!)
I want to thank all my family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances (aka contributors, hopefully you!) for helping me reach my fundraising goal last year. This year, I am far behind in my fundraising goal and need your help to get to the starting line!
I was going to write a brand new message for this year, but I liked my earlier posts so much I decided to leave them up and simply add to them. What’s important is to realize that anyone can get cancer, regardless of how healthy you think you are. If you know me, you know that I enjoyed excercising and being outside. Running, biking, cross country skiing are only a few activities that I love. So when I was diagnosed, it was a complete shock. But with my family and friends supporting me, we are managing well.
About the PMC: This ride is such a meaningful experience for me. I have learned of so many others who have done remarkably well despite having advanced cancer. That gives me so much hope! And the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is such a fantastic facility. No wonder my oncologist does research there! But in order to ride, I need to raise funds. That’s why I’m hoping you’ll help me, and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, once again. Any contribution greater than zero is appreciated, and helps get me to the starting line. And 100% of money raised by riders goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Read the rest of my bio, and check out the links that I included below. And remember, if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer!
Sincerely,
David Sachs
Posted October 15 (Click the Read More link!)
THANK YOU! (video links below!)
For helping researchers find a cure for lung cancer. Your donation to the Pan Mass Challenge is being directed to the Lowe Center of Thoracic Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. As part of Team Lungstrong I hope to live in a world without lung cancer.
Feel free to browse through, and don’t forget to look at the photos on the left hand side (the link for Photos is small, but a lot of fun). Although it’s not really a “blog”, the postings are in chronological order from when I started fundraising in 2015 to finishing the bike ride. I added the following videos and links to help people understand my clinical trial and treatment. I also included the link for my fundraising team, Team Lungstrong, as well as the Team Lungstrong website (the team has raised more than 1.5 MILLION dollars for lung cancer research)! As you will see, lung cancer research has made big advances in the last 10 years!
Lung Cancer and Molecular Testing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOjn65406zI
Introduction to ALK inhibitors by my oncologist Dr. Lecia Sequist
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeVb_MEW2jw
Brigatinib (my inhibitor) is best in class as an ALK inhibitor (according to the principal investigator)!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3LEXZW9_P4
Dr. Pasi Jänne talks about his work at DFCI Research:
www.youtu.be/DvJXVvQmySE
Dr. Bruce Johnson, director of the Lowe Center for Lung Cancer at DFCI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvM3wsGlfgs
Mass General Research with Diane Legg, Founder of Team Lungstrong (can you spot me in my yellow fleece jacket?)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGssyvXwl4&feature=youtu.be
Lungstrong Home Page
www.lungstrong.org/
PMC Lungstrong Team
www2.pmc.org/profile/TL0096
I’m posting this on Monday August 3rd the day after the 2015 Pan Mass Challenge (PMC)
Wow, what an exceptional ride! The weather was great, the route was fantastic, and there was plenty of food and water at every rest stop! Yesterday I completed my bike ride and I was overwhelmed by everyone that was involved in putting this together. Imagine the logistics to get 6,000 riders to follow directions, stay hydrated, eat enough, and have facilities to house them. Fantastic! And the riders and volunteers I met were incredible too: father-son teams, husband-wife teams (meaning riding together, although not necessarily on tandem bikes), and so many people who were touched by cancer. There was even a survivor who biked with one leg! And all along the course, people came out and cheered us on. So many children affected by cancer, it really made me sad. But the outpouring of support -that really blew me away. All the people that I met at the PMC were just the greatest folks. Since being diagnosed 20 months ago with lung cancer, this was the most moving experience I’ve had.
Thank you to all my “sponsors” (aka contributors)! If it were not for you, I would not have been able to do it. The PMC ride has a rather high donation requirement, and with your help I succeeded! A special acknowledgement to my Mother in Law Toby, who was a tireless cheerleader and rallied everyone she knows to help support me. Thank you Toby and thank you all!
About the PMC ride. I have probably done more bicycle riding this summer than the previous 10 summers combined. Almost all my training was on my own, and not with a group. (How many of your friends really want to do another 50-80 mile training ride?). This ride was perfect for me because it is not a race. You could easily tell that some riders were proficient cyclists, and the ride for them was not a major challenge. I'm sure that other people are putting their bikes away right now for next year, they are a bit done with bicycling for this summer! Some fundraising teams rode together in a pace line. A number of times I was able to draft behind the last rider and pick up my speed without over exerting myself! But too frequently, a hill would appear, and I didn’t have enough reserve to stay with the group. I would start going into what I call “oxygen deprivation” mode, and I’d frantically try to shift to a lower gear. But guess what? I was already in the lowest gear! So, I’d crest the hill and recover, and the good news was that with so many riders, another pace line would come by and I’d tag along again. I rode with the “Bikers Dozen” made up of a group I rode with from Bedford, L.E.K. Consulting, and two guys with dice on their helmets (I forgot their team name). There were other riders that I rode and chatted with as well, and the mostly women from “Stem Cell Cyclists (all the riders I met with this shirt were women, but when I asked one, she said there were several men on the team). But it was also enjoyable to ride alone too. When riding alone, you can enjoy your surroundings better, look around and enjoy the scenery. It gave me a chance to think, and to reflect about how very fortunate I have been. I'm in a very small sub-group of lung cancer patients that can get out and go for a bicycle ride. Alternatively, when riding in a pace line, you are always vigilant about maintaining a small gap between your front tire and the back wheel of the person you are drafting. Even the professional riders occasionally touch wheels and crash, and riding with a group of unknown riders increases risk. But what a thrill to ride at 25 miles an hour instead of 15! It was great! And simply being part of the event was so gratifying!
A word of thanks to the team I raised money with, Team Lungstrong! In a weird way I stumbled upon this group of people who have already been riding and raising money specifically for lung cancer research. Dianne Legg, the founder, is a 10 year lung cancer survivor, and her example gives me hope and confidence. My teammates are really fantastic, and helped me feel welcome. Yeah Team Lungstrong!
A funny moment of the Pan Mass Challenge: The primary challenge is the fundraising. Everyone knows that. But how did I miss the part that said we would start riding in Bourne at 5:30 in the morning? I understand it, they closed a lane on the Bourne Bridge for cyclists, and better to start the ride at 5:30 AM on the weekend rather than at 9:30. But how did I overlook the announcement that there was a 4:20 revelry? I found out the night before, as everyone was turning in at 8:30 PM. I guess next year I’ll be better prepared!
Wait, I forgot a big Thank You. A big thank you belongs to Julie, and my kids. They allowed me the time to train for this (which was more time than most people would need, since I’m slower). In addition to all my other time riding, they let me go out on the two weekends prior to the PMC, which really helped me out! Thank you Julie, Harrison, and Becca!
Thank you everyone! It was a great weekend.
Dave
Here is my update that I sent to my online contributors on July 26th:
If you have a friend or relative who has or had cancer, send me their names and I will write their names on my bike. Since being diagnosed 19 months ago, a number of people I have met have already passed away, so this ride is in part a tribute to them, as well as to all cancer survivors.
Next weekend is the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC). On Saturday and Sunday I’ll be bicycling 80+ miles each day, and I’m looking forward to every minute of it! This event means a lot to me. Since being diagnosed with lung cancer, I can truly say “I have skin in this game”. It’s not just an abstract event for me, my oncologist does research with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
For the past several months, I’ve been logging a lot of miles on my bike in preparation for the PMC. I’ve had a lot of great rides, learned a bit about my new limits, and even had a memorable flat tire in the middle of black fly season. I’ve also learned how to use my cellphone as a GPS, and learned to carry an extra battery in case my phone dies. And yes, I’ve even used the phone to call Julie to pick me up when I was hopelessly lost and too tired to make it home!
Here is my original posting
This August I will be riding in my first Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) with Team LungStrong. With your help, we can surpass 1 million dollars in total raised since the inception of Team LungStrong. 100% of your tax deductible donation will go to The Lowe Center of Thoracic Oncology at Dana Farber.
I hope you will be moved to action when you hear my story. If not, at least you'll know some things that I wish I had known earlier. For example, everyone can get lung cancer, not just smokers, coal miners, and asbestos workers. Years of watching TV ads telling me not to smoke actually worked, I never smoked and yet, I am now a lung cancer patient. Jeez, I thought this only happened to other people!
On 12/31/2013, I found out I have lung cancer. Like most lung cancer patients, the disease had already spread through my body. I am stage 4. Wow, that was shocking! I was too weak to pick up my first and second grade children, had a chronic cough, and lost a lot of weight. Did you know lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon cancer combined? If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer. A woman who never smoked is twice as likely to die from lung cancer as breast cancer. And yet, lung cancer gets less federal funding for research than any of those other cancers. Everyone knows what pink ribbons are for, but lung cancer ribbons are either clear (invisible) or white. Can you name another cancer where people inherently think you’ve brought this on yourself?
So it’s been a bit over a year. My initial chemotherapy made me more sick, not better. I’m now on a clinical trial (a shout out to Ariad Pharmaceuticals- thank you for AP26113-Brigatinib my miracle medicine!). In a year, my tumor load has decreased 77%, and still shrinking. Now I’d like to give back, and help raise money for lung cancer research. With your help, we can beat this disease.
I am participating in the Pan Mass Challenge this August. Last year, I was still too sick and didn’t have a chance to even go bike riding and this year, I will be happy to simply finish the ride at my new, slower pace. But the PMC is not just a ride for me; breakthroughs in cancer research happen only when there is funding. The PMC allocates 100% of the funds raised to the Jimmy Fund. And Team LungStrong, the group I'm riding with, has secured a promise that ALL of the money raised by the team will be ear marked for lung cancer research.
My situation is unusual, to say the least. I still have lung cancer. I am still fighting this disease. I still sometimes need to take naps. Back in April 2014, if I had half the number of tumors in my lungs, body, and brain I would still be a stage 4 lung cancer patient. And while this miracle medicine has bought me some quality time, it is not a cure. My trial team warned me that this type of medicine works great at the start, and then simply holds its own, and eventually the cancer finds a way to bypass it. I have had a great year of improvement, and am grateful for it. The medicine is still shrinking my tumors and while the shrinkage is getting smaller, it has not stopped. But I’m not cured, not yet. And if I don’t ride this year, I may not get a second chance. With you generous support, Team Lungstrong will be able to donate much needed funds toward research that is directly changing the lives of thousands of lung cancer patients. You can help us be a part of the solution and help to raise funds so that the brilliant researchers that work toward a cure every day have the resources to succeed.
I've made a personal commitment to ride and would like to raise $12,000. I hope you can help me achieve this significant goal.
Thank you! Dave Sachs
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
| 2024 | $50.00 | PMC Fundraiser |
| 2019 | $50.00 | PMC Fundraiser |
| 2018 | $75.00 | PMC Rider |
| 2017 | $16,100.00 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2016 | $8,391.00 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2015 | $12,612.00 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
