I am super excited to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge this August! The PMC is a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. It will be my first time riding in the PMC! I was challenged to ride by the son of friends of ours, Colin.

Colin has ridden in the PMC for the past two years. Right before the beginning of this year, he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Colin is currently undergoing six rounds of intense chemotherapy at Dana Farber. It is expected that he will make a full recovery thanks to the world class team at DFCI. Amazingly, Colin is planning on riding in the PMC again this year. It's fantastic to witness the impact research and treatment supported by the PMC has made for patients like Colin.

I am also riding for a team, Team Brainstorm. My team rides for Declan, who was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor in March of 2019. Declan has had multiple brain surgeries, gone through many months of chemotherapy. Throughout all of this he continues to courageously push forward and inspires everyone around him. Our team also rides to support other children with brain tumors, especially ones with an FGFR1 mutation. Our funds are put into the Declan Vail BrainStorms for a Cure fund, and 100% of money we raise goes to Bando Labs at Dana Farber led by Dr. Mimi Bandopadhayay.

Finally, I am riding to celebrate my recovery from a spinal cord injury. That's why I ride a recumbent trike. I was introduced to recumbents during my rehab, and I have kept triking ever since!

I will be taking on the 77 mile course across Cape Cod, from Bourne to Provincetown, my longest ride to date. I have been training diligently though the chilly and rainy New England spring. I am looking forward to the challenge.

It's amazing that since its founding in 1980, PMC riders like me have raised more than $1 billion for lifesaving cancer research, treatment and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the country's top cancer care hospitals. My PMC is making a difference in the lives of patients at Dana-Farber and around the world. The funds I raise support the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists in their search for cures for cancers and related diseases.

100 percent of every dollar I raise goes directly to Dana-Farber, meaning that your donation has a real impact! Please donate to my PMC fundraising and help me reach my fundraising goal.