This year will mark my third year back riding the Pan-Mass Challenge to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When I took my bike out of the proverbial mothballs in 2022 to ride my first PMC in 19 years, I promised myself that it wouldn’t be a “one and done” event. The two-day ride from Wellesley to Provincetown was hot and sticky, but it was wonderful to be back supporting the cutting-edge work of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while doing something I love. Last year's ride was a bit different. A wedding conflicted with the PMC, so instead I registered for the PMC's Unpaved ride, a 50-mile, 5,000-foot climb through the Berkshires of western Massachusetts along mostly gravel roads. I finished, albeit a bit humbled. For 2024, I have committed to the traditional two-day, 190-mile ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, and let me share with you why.
As many of you undoubtedly know, I lost my brother John suddenty this January. He didn't succumb to cancer, though he, like all of my brothers and me, had to deal with the various basal- and squamous-cell carcinomas and melanomas in situ (though for some reason melanoma has been reserved to me) that seem to come along with incredibly fair skin, growing up in a pre-sunscreen world, and just too much exposure to the sun. I am eternally grateful for the dermatologists who keep a watchful eye over me. Importantly, John loved a challenge. Whether it was working as an American observer on foreign fishing boats in an icy - and unpredictably dangerous - Bering Sea, committing to educating children with special needs and learning differences, or, in the summer 18 months before he passed, undertaking a multi-day, solo canoe trip - with multiple portages - along his beloved Maine's Androscoggin River, John challenged himself in different and significant ways. It is with that sprit in mind, and also mindful of the challenges faced by countless families with loved ones facing a cancer diagnosis, that I decided to challenge myself a bit more this year.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. One hundred percent of all PMC rider-raised funds go directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. This year, the PMC will hit the $1 billion dollar mark, a milestone that seemed almost unbelievable back in 1996 when I completed my first PMC. And, this year, due to the generosity of the Warren Alpert Foundation, any funds I raise are subject to a $500,000 match. So, while there undoubtedly are many worthy causes for your consideration, any amounts you donate to the PMC through my fundraising link will be “supercharged.” I would truly appreciate your support this year.
On the morning of Saturday, August 3, 2024, I’ll again join my good friend and college classmate, David McCormick, as part of “Team Blue Heron,” so named because that graceful bird had special meaning to his wife, Ebit Speers, whom we lost in October 2021. During the ride, I’ll be thinking of my brother John, in whose memory I am dedicating this ride, knowing that I have an additional angel pushing me along. As I make my way up each hill, I also know I will be sustained by the strength and perseverance of the now countless family members, friends and co-workers who have faced cancer with both courage and grace.
Thank you.
Ed
This year will mark my third year back riding the Pan-Mass Challenge to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. When I took my bike out of the proverbial mothballs in 2022 to ride my first PMC in 19 years, I promised myself that it wouldn’t be a “one and done” event. The two-day ride from Wellesley to Provincetown was hot and sticky, but it was wonderful to be back supporting the cutting-edge work of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute while doing something I love. Last year's ride was a bit different. A wedding conflicted with the PMC, so instead I registered for the PMC's Unpaved ride, a 50-mile, 5,000-foot climb through the Berkshires of western Massachusetts along mostly gravel roads. I finished, albeit a bit humbled. For 2024, I have committed to the traditional two-day, 190-mile ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown, and let me share with you why.
As many of you undoubtedly know, I lost my brother John suddenty this January. He didn't succumb to cancer, though he, like all of my brothers and me, had to deal with the various basal- and squamous-cell carcinomas and melanomas in situ (though for some reason melanoma has been reserved to me) that seem to come along with incredibly fair skin, growing up in a pre-sunscreen world, and just too much exposure to the sun. I am eternally grateful for the dermatologists who keep a watchful eye over me. Importantly, John loved a challenge. Whether it was working as an American observer on foreign fishing boats in an icy - and unpredictably dangerous - Bering Sea, committing to educating children with special needs and learning differences, or, in the summer 18 months before he passed, undertaking a multi-day, solo canoe trip - with multiple portages - along his beloved Maine's Androscoggin River, John challenged himself in different and significant ways. It is with that sprit in mind, and also mindful of the challenges faced by countless families with loved ones facing a cancer diagnosis, that I decided to challenge myself a bit more this year.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. One hundred percent of all PMC rider-raised funds go directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. This year, the PMC will hit the $1 billion dollar mark, a milestone that seemed almost unbelievable back in 1996 when I completed my first PMC. And, this year, due to the generosity of the Warren Alpert Foundation, any funds I raise are subject to a $500,000 match. So, while there undoubtedly are many worthy causes for your consideration, any amounts you donate to the PMC through my fundraising link will be “supercharged.” I would truly appreciate your support this year.
On the morning of Saturday, August 3, 2024, I’ll again join my good friend and college classmate, David McCormick, as part of “Team Blue Heron,” so named because that graceful bird had special meaning to his wife, Ebit Speers, whom we lost in October 2021. During the ride, I’ll be thinking of my brother John, in whose memory I am dedicating this ride, knowing that I have an additional angel pushing me along. As I make my way up each hill, I also know I will be sustained by the strength and perseverance of the now countless family members, friends and co-workers who have faced cancer with both courage and grace.
Thank you.
Ed
