Growing up, and even to this day, I have had loved ones who have been negatively impacted by cancer. The three that have impacted me the most though are my Papa Scola, my baby cousin Livy, and my colleague Scott Harrington’s granddaughter, Raelynn Jean. Unfortunately, my Papa lost his battle with Pancreatic cancer several years ago. He fought as hard as he could, but the cancer was just too strong and unfortunately got the best of him. He was too young when he passed. To this day, I would do anything to get to spend some more time with my Papa, especially as a young man. Just to have 10 minutes with him, ask him questions, laugh together, etc. would mean the world to me. But cancer cut that opportunity short.
My little cousin Livy fighting cancer also had a large impact on me. She was only 2 years old when she got diagnosed with Leukemia, and watching her suffer through treatment, and watching her family go through hell trying to save her life, was heartbreaking. She was only a young child and she had to fight every day for her life. Luckily, she was blessed with a great family, especially her 2 amazing Parents Christine and Jason, that were there for her every step of the way, along with Dana Faber and the Jimmy Fund, and Livy survived the fight, beat cancer, and is living a wonderful life today with her family!
Raelynn Jean is the most recent diagnosis and her and her family have a long road ahead. Raelynn is only 16 months old and is fighting for her life as she was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer known as ETMR. Her and her family are currently working with Dana Faber, who is doing everything they can to save Raelynn's life. Raelynn and her family need all the prayers they can get, and it would mean the world to her and her family to have people like you include them in your prayers and donate to this cause to support Dana Faber in their efforts to not only find a cure but support their efforts in savings the lives of someone like Raelynn. No child and family should ever have to suffer through something like this. No individual should have to suffer through cancer, and no one should have to watch their loved ones suffer and possibly lose the battle to cancer. And that's where Dana-Farber comes in. The work they are doing to try and find a cure is simply amazing, and I am just blessed to be able to be a part of the PMC to do whatever I can to support Dana-Faber and their tireless commitment to finding a cure.
I am honored to say that this year I will be riding with Team Path for a Cure from Sturbridge, MA to P-Town (187 miles) to raise money and support the Jimmy Fund and the Dana Faber Foundation. I am riding for Brave Livy, who thanks to Dana Faber, the Jimmy Fund, and the generous donations from people like yourself, is now living a healthy and happy life with her family. In addition, I'm riding for my Papa Scola, who lost his battle to cancer years ago, but had such a large impact on me and my family’s lives. And finally, I ride for Raelynn Jean, who is just 16 months old and is currently fighting for her life to beat ETMR. Furthermore, please consider supporting my ride in any way that you can! Any donations, big or small, are greatly appreciated and will go directly to Dana-Faber to support their mission of finding a cure and saving the life of someone like Raelynn. Thank you!!!
