My family has mostly been spared by cancer. At times it seemed like everyone I knew had a friend, sibling or parent dealing with cancer, but in my immediate family, we never did. That changed in 2018, when my fit/healthy/responsible brother was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 40.

He is a historian and voracious reader who is annoyingly good at puzzles/word games etc. He is a tremendous fisherman, musician, juggler and unicyclist. He loves sharing knowledge and experiences and despite surgeries, chemo and radiation, has continued to be a creative and enthusiastic professor and a wonderful husband and active father to his three kids (and a fun an engaging uncle!). I hope he gets to keep doing and being all those things for a very long time.

Apart from being generally supportive, I've accepted that there is not much a family member can do. More frustrating, is that his situation and response to it, has caused me to be more present and appreciative. That his bad luck has caused me to appreciate my own life and get more from it, has only deepened my frustration at the unfairness of it all.

So I'm riding this year to offer my support for the challenges he's faced and with the hope that I can motivate others to offer financial support that can make a difference for others down the line. At minimum, I know he'll see my willingness to wear weird biking shoes in his honor as a sign of love and respect.

I hope you'll consider supporting me as I offer my support to my brother, and whoever comes next. 100% of rider-raised revenue from last year's PMC went directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure.