Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you all so much for giving me the gift of riding. Without your generosity of donations, there would be no PMC. Our team is on pace to meet our goal, and I met my goal today. With all my heart, my warmest thanks.
When I meet my goal, when our team meets its goal, and when the PMC meets its goal, we all win. We win today and tomorrow with the research and treatments our funds fund. It’s an amazing circle of support.
This year’s PMC was by far my hardest. The heat (101 in some areas) was only one-half the problem, as we have ridden in warmer weather without pain. This year, the blend of heat and humidity intensity blend got us. Sunday was much cooler, but our muscles were still screaming for more fluids (we couldn’t get enough in on Saturday). But of course, we finished.
And as we all know about hard goals, once they’re over, they’re over for that year, and somehow, you forget the pain and remember the gifts and gains.
Each year, on Saturday after the ride, there is a ‘Living Proof’ photo. This is a photo of cancer survivors who are riding in the PMC. My first year riding the PMC, (24 years ago), there were maybe 6 of us in the photo. We felt like such an anomaly. An oddity, living from cancer and riding the PMC. This year, there were many HUNDRED people in the Living Proof photo. Being ‘Living Proof 'has been normalized as part of life.
The number of people who live after a cancer diagnosis has changed to most often now being a ‘chronic’ disease. When you see the shift over the years in actual humans showing up, it is a stunning shift. Yet, each year, I ride along folks who have just lost a loved one. We had a new FLAME this year, a young man in his 20s who had lost his mom just months earlier.
We wrapped him up with FLAMES love.
Along the route were the humbling reminders of people sitting in lawn chairs holding signs for loved ones lost (my son, my grandson, my mother…. and children holding signs proudly, “I am 10 thanks to you). It can’t help but grab you and is a stark reminder of why we all participate in giving and riding as we do.
I could go on and on with stories. We have dear friends this year battling cancer who weren’t last year. I had someone share their recent diagnosis with me while riding. They needed a friend to share their news with. I came home to a friend reaching out for support due to new news of cancer. It just doesn’t quit.
Your funds this year are hard at work. We are funding two Fellows and their research for one year. These Fellows ‘won’ this opportunity from a pool of deserving researchers and scientists. We support one year of their salaries and research to bring their program to life. We also fund in-depth research to bring drugs to market. YOU ARE HELPING MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
Thank you for hanging in with me and the FLAMES each year. Thank you for continuing with your support. This was the first year the PMC had me feeling my age. But guess what? I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I can complain about the heat and a sore bum. I can complain about sleeping under a table on a Saturday night in a 24-hour lit library, complain about porta potties, and laugh at my fellow new FLAME who dropped her phone into a porta potty. Yes, she retrieved her phone herself. I feel lucky to ride with Charlie Hale, our oldest son, on his first PMC ride.
The PMC makes a difference; we are choosing to make a difference.
WE ARE LUCKY to all be able to make a difference.
Thank you for being part of TEAM FLAMES and for your unwavering support.
xo cindy
PS: For those still wanting to donate: 100% pass-thru to Dana Farber. Click here: http://profile.pmc.org/HG0011
~
August 1, 2024
This is it, the last week before the PMC! May I add a ribbon for your loved one or friend to my jersey as I ride across MA this weekend? Simply let me know the name you want!
The weather looks HOT, and some RAIN. It doesn't matter what the weather is. We ride no matter what we get. We laugh, cry, and hear so many inspiring stories along the journey.
If you haven't donated yet, there is still time. I hope you will consider donating to my ride, the PMC and by extension supporting the amazing scientists and researchers our team helps fund.
Yes, your donations make a very tangible difference. Every single dollar, any amount, means a lot.
As we get older and work harder to train, we continue to work harder to raise. Thank you for all you do to help us help us all. We don’t know where the next call will come from. But we know we can help people we all know and love return to their own lives free of needles and drugs.
As we write this, we are thinking of our friends this year actively fighting cancer. We think of the ones we have lost, and we ask for your support to bring us all one step, one person, one trial, and one researcher closer to closing the cancer gap.
This is why we are a village. Of HOPE and IMPACT.
We will soon bike to Zoey’s home in Southern New Hampshire (a surprise visit for her), and our team FLAMES will decorate her driveway, dress in costumes, and bring joy to their home. This is one of the fun parts of being part of our team, FLAMES.
Cancer doesn’t discriminate. We hope you will join us and donate. We need your help. Thank you Cindy
Please donate by clicking here: http://profile.pmc.org/HG0011
Check made out to “PMC” or “Pan Mass” and send to: Cindy Hale, 45 Myrtle Terrace, Winchester MA 01890.
- Donations via Venmo: @Cindy-Hale
- See Matching Grants for your Pan Mass Donation. Click [Here]
- See about Fidelity Charity DAF Donation. Click [Here]
