This summer, I’ll be riding in my first PMC as a member of Team WillPower. I am honored to be able to join this group in support of an effort to fund a cure for cancer of all types.

On a personal note, I ride to support my dad, Peter Lawlor, along with many others. In July of 2022, Dad was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. When he first sat me down and told me, my immediate thought was ‘Nope. No, not us. It can’t be’. I could not, and did not believe it.

When the man you have looked up to for your entire life begins a battle with something like this, you want to do everything in your power to make our world a place where there is a cure, where there is hope, and where the other side, remission, doesn’t seem so far away. It was a devastating moment and the diagnosis blindsided our entire family.

As with everything else in his life, my Dad rolled up his sleeves and faced this battle head on with the amazing help and care of the team at Dana Farber. That fall of 2022, he went through many aggressive rounds of chemotherapy (with his beautiful wife/my rockstar mom right by his side), and by December, was headed for remission. The amazing team of doctors at Dana Farber is undoubtedly to thank for his successful treatment and continued recovery. His health today is a testament to what Dana Farber and the PMC can accomplish.

My Dad just celebrated his 67th birthday, and continues to actively workout, ski, hike, play hockey twice a week, and break things around the house just to fix them. Dad is the best man I’ve ever known.

I am incredibly thankful for his current good health and I ride the PMC to try and pay it forward for the immense gift our family received.

For the better part of 5+ years, I’ve worn a green elastic wristband that is inscribed in bright orange letters ‘We Ride for John!’ - A piece of memorabilia from the very early days of Team Willpower, in reference to John Willett, who was an inspiration to all who knew him and to me personally, as both the amazing father of my best friend and as a favorite hockey coach. Countless times, in need of a spark, I’ve come to find myself looking down at this wristband, and it reminds me of the message and symbol of what Team Willpower is built on.

I would welcome your support for this Pan Mass Challenge. Donations of any amount absolutely help this cause, and would be most appreciated. Thank you for your consideration of this effort and for supporting a cause that is not only important to me, my family, and my friends, but to millions of others who continue to fight their courageous battle against this terrible disease.