This year, I will be riding in my first of hopefully many Pan Mass Challenges. I have the distinct honor of riding for Team Fitz. A team formed 11 years that has raised close to $1 million for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. 100% of funds raised by riders go directly to Cancer research.

I am riding for my fiancée Brittany. On May 16, 2016, Brittany was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone and soft tissue cancer. I began to ask the obvious questions: “Why?”, “How does this happen to very healthy and active 29-year-old?” “What is the survival rate?” Britt asked the same questions but in true Brittany fashion her main concern on the day of diagnosis were how she was going to complete her dental school assignments. You read that right. This devastating news came at the end of her first year as Dental School student at Tufts University, one of the world’s most renown dental institutions.

Chemotherapy started the following week. Over the next nine months, Brittany underwent a round of chemo, followed by an invasive surgery, and another round of chemo.  The chemo was time consuming, painful at times, and fatigue inducing. The surgery was extremely invasive and resulted in a five night stay at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Another round of chemo followed until January 2017. At the next appointment, the nurse practitioner gave us the news that Britt was Cancer-free. As I write this, she is 19 months’ cancer-free.

I cannot put into words what she went through. I rode shotgun through the doctor’s appointments, blood draws, chemo sessions, surgery, and the countless other reasons why we went to the DFCI or BWI. I can say that this experience gave me strength that I never knew I had. That strength came from Brittany. She was an absolute rock star through the whole process. Through the aforementioned appointments and sessions, she did not miss a beat in her quest to become a dentist. She completed all of her assignments and will graduate in May, almost 3 years to the day of the diagnosis, as a Doctor of Dental Medicine. Being by her side everyday throughout this has made me a better person. I would have obviously preferred to not watch Brittany endure this, but I would not trade the strength and determination that she gave to me as she not only beat Cancer but successfully pursued her dreams.

While I am riding for Brittany and her fight will be my inspiration through this 192-mile trek, she will not be waiting at the finish line for me. She will be crossing the finish line with me as she is taking on the Sturbridge to Provincetown journey with Team Fitz less than 2 years after major surgery. Here is her bio (http://profile.pmc.org/BC0300). Check out her story through her eyes. It is truly inspiring.

I am also riding for the phenomenal support system that we had and continue to have. I am grateful for the love and support of both of our families, including fellow Team Fitz members Hayley and Mollie Colleran (Brittany’s sisters) and their significant others Danny McGoff and Thomas Regan who are not only my future in-laws but lifelong friends. I am riding for all of our friends and family that reached out with gifts, food, cards, or just words of encouragement. I am also riding for the medical staffs at DFCI and BWI. These people are the unsung heroes in the fight against cancer. These people work tirelessly as they see the worst of the worst on a daily basis, but always with a smile on their faces and do everything to make you feel comfortable. There are too many people to thank individually but just know I am riding for you and what you have done to give Brittany the title of survivor.