Even though I retired from Dassault Systèmes in November 2021, I've once again committed to raising money for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute by participating in the 2024 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) as a Virtual Rider with Team Dassault at the ripe old age of 73! This will be my 13th year in a row with the PMC. The first year I rode 25 miles to see if I could even do it, then for 3 years I completed the 50-mile route from Babson College in Wellesley to Patriot Place in Foxboro and back. For the next 2 years after that, I completed the 84-mile route from Wellesley to the Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne. In 2018, we rode the last 50 miles in a driving rain! In 2019 I went back to the 50-mile ride from Wellesley to Patriot Place and back, and in 2020 and 2021, my riding buddy, Dennis Corain, and I did a 46-mile reimagined ride throughout beautiful southeastern Massachusetts where we configured our own route due to the pandemic. In 2022, I signed up for the 50-mile Wellesley-to-Wellesley ride again with Dennis, but at the last minute he had to bow out, so I rode by myself. Due to the extreme heat and humidity on the day I rode (96 degrees and 95% humidity, third hottest in PMC history), I was only able to complete 41 of the 50 miles before I had to either stop or keel over. Another Team Dassault rider was riding with me at the time, and called the PMC van to take me to the finish line - a true teammate! After that experience, I decided to take a year or two off and participate as a Virtual Rider, which means I am still fundraising for Dana-Farber. I am still riding for exercise and fun, but could not commit to the amount of training I would need this year to ride another 50 miles. Who knows, maybe next year I'll get back in the saddle again.
In 2023, Team Dassault raised almost $439,000, which was enough to qualify the team for Heavy Hitter status. We have now raised more than $9 million for cancer research and treatment since we began riding in 2002. In 2024, we are shooting to exceed our 2023 achievement, but we can’t do it without you! I've made a personal commitment to raise $2,000, and I hope you can help me exceed this goal.
Here’s why I ride: My brother-in-law Paul, who lived in Richmond, Virginia, was a cancer survivor. I saw first-hand the courage and fortitude it took him to get through many months of grueling chemo and radiation therapy. He was cancer free and healthy for 10 years thanks to the cutting edge research done at institutions like the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but sadly, he passed away in 2018 due to natural causes. I am riding in the PMC in memory of his struggle, and to help fund the research that will prevent countless others from having to face the same struggle in the future.
I also have a personal reason to ride - I had Mohs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma in July 2021, and fortunately they got all of it. The surgeon who performed the procedure, Dr. Carl Schanbacher, was once the chief of skin cancer surgery at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center. He did an excellent job, and his work at Dana-Farber no doubt benefited from PMC funding. Now, this was not in any way life-threatening for me, and my brother-in-law endured far worse than I did in his recovery, but it did give me a direct and personal appreciation for the brilliant and life-saving work that they do at Dana-Farber.
Please make a tax-deductible donation in my name by clicking on the “Donate to My Ride” button below. If you prefer to write a check, please make it out to the PMC, The Jimmy Fund or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and mail it to me directly at:
Jack Cofer
113 Crawley Falls Rd, Unit 2
Brentwood, NH 03833
If your employer has a matching gift program, please ask your Human Resources department for a form, and follow the process for matches.
Thank you for your support!
Even though I retired from Dassault Systèmes in November 2021, I've once again committed to raising money for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute by participating in the 2024 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) as a Virtual Rider with Team Dassault at the ripe old age of 73! This will be my 13th year in a row with the PMC. The first year I rode 25 miles to see if I could even do it, then for 3 years I completed the 50-mile route from Babson College in Wellesley to Patriot Place in Foxboro and back. For the next 2 years after that, I completed the 84-mile route from Wellesley to the Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne. In 2018, we rode the last 50 miles in a driving rain! In 2019 I went back to the 50-mile ride from Wellesley to Patriot Place and back, and in 2020 and 2021, my riding buddy, Dennis Corain, and I did a 46-mile reimagined ride throughout beautiful southeastern Massachusetts where we configured our own route due to the pandemic. In 2022, I signed up for the 50-mile Wellesley-to-Wellesley ride again with Dennis, but at the last minute he had to bow out, so I rode by myself. Due to the extreme heat and humidity on the day I rode (96 degrees and 95% humidity, third hottest in PMC history), I was only able to complete 41 of the 50 miles before I had to either stop or keel over. Another Team Dassault rider was riding with me at the time, and called the PMC van to take me to the finish line - a true teammate! After that experience, I decided to take a year or two off and participate as a Virtual Rider, which means I am still fundraising for Dana-Farber. I am still riding for exercise and fun, but could not commit to the amount of training I would need this year to ride another 50 miles. Who knows, maybe next year I'll get back in the saddle again.
In 2023, Team Dassault raised almost $439,000, which was enough to qualify the team for Heavy Hitter status. We have now raised more than $9 million for cancer research and treatment since we began riding in 2002. In 2024, we are shooting to exceed our 2023 achievement, but we can’t do it without you! I've made a personal commitment to raise $2,000, and I hope you can help me exceed this goal.
Here’s why I ride: My brother-in-law Paul, who lived in Richmond, Virginia, was a cancer survivor. I saw first-hand the courage and fortitude it took him to get through many months of grueling chemo and radiation therapy. He was cancer free and healthy for 10 years thanks to the cutting edge research done at institutions like the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, but sadly, he passed away in 2018 due to natural causes. I am riding in the PMC in memory of his struggle, and to help fund the research that will prevent countless others from having to face the same struggle in the future.
I also have a personal reason to ride - I had Mohs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma in July 2021, and fortunately they got all of it. The surgeon who performed the procedure, Dr. Carl Schanbacher, was once the chief of skin cancer surgery at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center. He did an excellent job, and his work at Dana-Farber no doubt benefited from PMC funding. Now, this was not in any way life-threatening for me, and my brother-in-law endured far worse than I did in his recovery, but it did give me a direct and personal appreciation for the brilliant and life-saving work that they do at Dana-Farber.
Please make a tax-deductible donation in my name by clicking on the “Donate to My Ride” button below. If you prefer to write a check, please make it out to the PMC, The Jimmy Fund or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and mail it to me directly at:
Jack Cofer
113 Crawley Falls Rd, Unit 2
Brentwood, NH 03833
If your employer has a matching gift program, please ask your Human Resources department for a form, and follow the process for matches.
Thank you for your support!
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
