Hi everyone, thank you for taking the time to consider donating to my ride! If you know me at all, you know that I am always out on my bike, so a weekend of long rides around a picturesque location is not a particularly unusual event for me. What you might not know about me is that my six year old nephew, Evan, was diagnosed with stage four diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) last July.
DIPG is, in short, an inoperable brain tumor. While there are treatments available to improve quality of life, there is no cure. The median survival rate is 9 months post diagnosis, with only 5% of those diagnosed surviving two years or more.
Evan is a smart, kind, and brave six year old boy. He loves Star Wars, Legos and music (his favorite Christmas present this year were REAL turntables). He's lucky enough to be part a fantastic, loving family, and has an amazing big sister, Avery. I've heard that he is well liked in his kindergarten class and makes friends easily because of his great sense of humor. He likes to wrestle with dad and snuggle with mom. Our favorite activity is arts & crafts, and our Thanksgiving hand turkeys are world renowned (or at least very liked on Instagram).
DIPG is also a rare disease, so funding for research towards a cure has been limited. Currently only 4% of national cancer research funding money goes to pediatric cancer and about 1% of that towards DIPG. I have decided to ride the Pan Mass Challenge in honor of Evan and for my twin sister, Jessica (Evan's mother), who is the strongest, bravest person that I know. In doing so, I hope to raise awareness about this horrible disease and raise money to contribute to research for a cure.
If I could choose a future for Evan, he would be a world famous DJ (we've previously discussed his becoming the next Tom Brady, but there is only one GOAT). He'd travel internationally and play brilliant sets to thousands of fans. It would be a fantastic, fun, and beautiful life. Since that future is out of reach, I choose one where we work together to find a cure for DIPG.
In it's 39-year history, the PMC has raised over $600 million for cancer research and treatment. One hundred percent of every rider-raised dollar is donated directly to Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.
So on August 1st and 2nd of this year, I will be out on the road like I always am, but this time it will have more of purpose than it usually does (numbers/QOMs/bragging rights are not quite as important). Please donate whatever you can and it will be SO appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
To donate (tax-deductible):
- https://donate.pmc.org/JP0522
- Check payable to: Pan Mass Challenge. Addressed to ME at 825 8th Avenue, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, New York, NY 10019. My ID: JP0522
