I am riding from Wellesley to Provincetown in the 2025 Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) to raise critical funds for cancer research at the hospital that saved my life when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017. In 2022, a new PMC team was founded to support women's cancers at Dana Farber (women's cancers, as you might imagine, receives a fraction of the amount of funding relative to other non-women's cancers). I am super excited to ride with this team and to share with you that every single dollar I raise this year will support the innovative work of my medical oncologist (and director of women's cancers at Dana Farber), Dr. Ursula Matulonis.

It is an honor to be healthy enough to support Dr. Matulonnis' groundbreaking research . She told me the day I met her in 2017 that she could count on one hand (after many decades as a medical oncologist) the number of stage 1 or 2 ovarian cases she had EVER seen. Ovarian cancer's lack of symptoms (I had none) mean the majority of women receive stage 3 and 4 diagnoses, which is how ovarian cancer earned the nickname, "the silent killer". To use my bike (and legs - which I could barely move while I was sick) to support efforts to identify diagnostic tools and treatments that mean this nickname might not apply in the future is meaningful in a way I'm struggling to fully articulate.

I ride in honor of Judy McLeavey, a friend (in particular to my almost 3 year old son, Rafa) we lost to ovarian cancer last summer. As always, I ride in honor of Lauren Corduck and the many loved ones of my supporters who have also received a cancer diagnosis. These loved ones names are placed strategically on the top tube of my bike - a place I'll look many times for inspiration as I travel the 163 miles to the finish line in Provincetown. If you have a name to add, please let me know.

This year, in particular in light of the erasure of federal funds, there is no question that we are raising critical funds for cancer research. These dollars will mitigate the suffering of many, now and in the future. Thank you for being part of this journey!

With gratitude,

Julie