My entire life I have grown up with many family traditions. 10 years ago was the start of a new tradition. On November 13, 2012, I lost my older brother, Evan, to DIPG when he was only 11 years old. I have been watching my parents, aunts, uncles, and close friends ride in the Pass Mass Challenge Bike Ride to honor and raise money for awareness. Every year my cousins and I have gone to support, dressing up head to toe in red accessories, and standing on the side of the road to give high fives to all riders. Evan always had a way of brightening up a room and making everyone smile. I loved seeing the riders' smiles as we cheered them on, giving them strength to finish the ride, and feeling like I had a piece of Evan still with me. It has become a new family tradition that we look forward to every summer. Now, I join in on the fun and ride with the rest of the team. This year will be my fifth year as a rider and I'm proud to be able to be a part of this change. We ride to honor my brother, to preserve his memory, and to turn a traumatic experience into something with a purpose. We ride so that other families have hope. We ride for Evan.

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.

100% of all donations made to Team Evan's Crew will directly fund DIPG research at Dana-Farber through the Evan T. Mandeville DIPG Research Fund.