The Pan Mass Challenge 2020 - JimsPMC.com

Dear Friends and Family,

I am hoping you can support us again this year with a generous contribution to the Pan Mass Challenge, which funds the researchers and caregivers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

• This is my 22nd year participating in the Pan Mass Challenge .... a 2-day 192-mile cycle each August across Massachusetts.
   
• 2020 also marks Melissa’s 9th, and Cormac’s 2nd rides
   
• My ride in 2020 is dedicated to ‘Living Proof Survivors’ at Dana Farber
   
• Included below is wonderful success story – Read about ‘Year 2’ of Peggy’s experience

Pan Mass Challenge 2020

As we all know cancer hasn’t slowed down during the Pandemic, and neither will we ….

This year’s PMC ride of course was modified due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Still, “PMC 2020 Reimagined” brought to life the spirit of PMC weekend, including many of the beloved activities that riders, volunteers, donors and spectators partake in during the traditional PMC. Traditionally we have had 6000 dedicated riders, and countless volunteers.

On August 1, I was fortunate to ride with fellow Westborough riders and friends along a ‘new’ 112 mile route on Saturday, joined on Sunda on a 50 mile route with Melissa and Cormac on August 2nd.
As motivating as ever, in spite of the changes!

Why I PMC

The PMC continues to make an unparalleled impact in the fight against cancer.

Proof of this is almost 1,000 PMC riders - patients who have been treated at Dana Farber - who are now cancer SURVIVORS.

They are Living Proof of your donations and the PMCs efforts!

PPP for PPP

I continue to ride with the New England Patriots Platelet Pedalers – the “PPP”. Our (Your!) donations continue to fund the research efforts of Dr Kenneth Anderson. Ken is a remarkably successful investigator, and his achievements have had profound and wide-ranging benefits in the treatment of blood-based as well as solid tumor cancers. More to follow on Ken’s scientific achievements, but for glimpse into his character, I have excerpted from an interview with Ken a couple of years back.

Quote:
“I was introduced to academic medicine by Richard L. Humphrey, MD, from Johns Hopkins Medical School, a myeloma specialist who taught me two important lessons that have served as my motivation ever since:

• Make science count for patients by improving diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, and
• Treat patients like family.”

Visit https://tinyurl.com/DrKennethAnderson to learn about his remarkable success

FUNDED BY YOU!

Dr Anderson’s DFCI BIO is at https://tinyurl.com/DrKenAnderson

Ken’s success at Dana Farber is why New England Patriots owner and Institute Trustee Robert K. Kraft has recently made another gift to honor his longtime partnership with Dana-Farber. The endowed Kraft Family Chair will support the Institute’s innovative work in hematological malignancies.

The Chair will be renamed the Kraft Family and Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, Chair at Dana-Farber, to recognize Dr. Anderson’s preeminence in multiple myeloma research.

-------------

So what is that 2nd PPP?

Many riders adopt a ‘Pedal Partner’ – a patient currently undergoing treatment at Dana Farber.
I am happy to give an update on the progress of my PPP – my Personal Pedal Partner, Peggy Pulliam (so should it be PPPPP?? )

Peggy is Living Proof of the wonderful place that Dana Farber Cancer Institute is.
Her experience is the best evidence of the benefits of your contributions.

As I shared last year, Peggy– who is the daughter of my boyhood best friend Emmett, himself a cancer victim - was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of Breast Cancer.

Upon switching to Dana Farber for treatment, she confronted her cancer head on, researched her options and she adopted an equally aggressive treatment regimen.

Coupling Peggy’s grit, her determination, and her ‘F U Cancer’ attitude with the treatment and care that she received at Dana Farber, her Doctors recently declared Peggy to be

CANCER FREE

Not just a diagnosis of ‘No Evidence of Disease’ which is somewhat of a hedge – but rather –

-->> No Cancer Cells Present <<--

Peggy still has several preventative treatments ahead,
but the road ahead is remarkably brighter compared to her initial diagnosis in early 2019.
Her own words say it best. Quoting Peggy:

A year ago today, I got the call. I had cancer. From that moment, life flipped upside down. But as crazy as it sounds, there were positive aspects to the experience. You find strength you never knew you had. Your priorities change. Your perspective on life changes. Time becomes more valuable. I’m not the same person I was when I woke up on 4.18.2019 and frankly, I’m glad I’m not.

Cancer changed me, but I don’t want it to define me.

A thank you to my rockstar doctors, nurses, surgeons and PAs. They saved my life. Thank you to all my friends and family. You are the real MVPs. Love you all so much and you all also saved my life.

A quote that stuck with me and gave me strength during the last year and seems relevant during these crazy times:

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill

Pure Peggy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This year, together with Melissa and Cormac, we hope to raise $10,000 for Dana Farber

• Our New England Patriots-sponsored team, the 200+-member “Patriots Platelet Pedalers”, raised almost $1.4MM for our 2-day ride in 2019,
  with $11,000,000 raised in the last 12 years...
• A great team of riders, with a great sponsor, the Kraft Family and the New England Patriots Foundation
  Important to know regarding your gift ...
• The Pan-Mass Challenge is the nation's original fundraising bike-a-thon, and today raises more money for charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the country.
• Since 2007 the PMC has donated 100% of every rider-raised dollar directly to cancer research and treatment at DFCI.
• Since its 1980 inception, donors and riders of the the PMC have contributed $717 million to lifesaving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) !
• The PMC raises more than 50 percent of the annual revenue at The Jimmy Fund, which goes toward easing the burden of patients that are enduring cancer treatment at the Center

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I CANNOT END MY ANNUAL APPEAL WITHOUT AN INVITATION TO JOIN US WEEKLY … MONTHLY … HECK EVEN ONCE ... AT THE KRAFT FAMILY BLOOD DONOR CENTER IN BOSTON.

I am a proud member of the KFBDC ‘Team 20’, Platelet donors who donate 20 + times/ yr.
Donating takes about 1 ½ - 2 hours, and typically yields 2 or 3 units of Platelets for the patients.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, as I once asked … what are Platelets?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Platelets exist as a component in our blood to stop us from bleeding. Platelets are the cells that circulate within our blood and bind together when they recognize damaged blood vessels. When you get a cut, for example, the Platelets bind to the site of the damaged vessel, thereby causing your blood to clot.

Platelet counts drop when something is preventing your body from producing Platelets.

There are a wide range of causes, including:

• Certain types of cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma
• Chemotherapy treatment for cancer
• Kidney infection or dysfunction,
• Certain medications

Considering Platelets have a short 5-day shelf life, supplies for the Dana Farber patients need to be continuously replenished. Please consider this very important donation. It is truly a gift of life

Here is a 2 minute video of one of our Platelet beneficiaries –

Casey Is Living Proof http://www.tinyurl.com/CaseyIsLivingProof

You can contact me to learn more about donating Platelets
or
by sending an email to blooddonor@partners.org
or
by following this link: https://tinyurl.com/DonateAtKFBDC
or
by calling 888-LETS-GIV (538-7448) / or // 617-632-3206

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you as always for your ongoing support of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and
The Jimmy Fund!

We really appreciate it!

Sincerely,


Jim Sullivan
We are getting Closer By The Mile ...........