Wow. 20 years. I still have vivid memories of my friend and then-colleague Dan Greer trying to talk me into signing up for the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC). Dan was a veteran PMCer, and I had donated to his ride a couple of times in honor of my Mom, but I was a mountain biker and didn't own a road bike. Still, I was intrigued. A couple of childhood friends from my hometown of Norwalk, CT now lived in Massachusetts and did the PMC, and given that we'd lost my Mom to cancer in 1998, the PMC seemed like a great way to honor her memory. But training for and riding 192 miles and having to raise thousands of dollars seemed like more than I could take on. I was hesitant to commit.
Fast forward to 2004. When I learned that a friend's teenaged son had been stricken with a brain tumor, I was inspired to act. I joined the team she'd formed for the 2004 Boston Brain Tumor Ride, bought an inexpensive road bike and dove in headlong, eventually contributing around $2000 to the team effort. Honestly, I was surprised at the generosity shown by family, friends and co-workers, but it got me over an important hump - my wariness about fundraising. I learned that people actually want to help. In fact they were glad to support my ride when asked! That left the ride itself. Well, that was a challenge; I rode 30 miles that day in a cold driving rain wearing a cotton t-shirt, and I'm certain I flirted with hypothermia. But standing in a warm shower afterwards and feeling even warmer in the knowledge that I could make a difference, I was hooked. I could do this. So when a wonderful man and friend named Dick Zisson--a past President of my synagogue who I sang with in our temple's choir and performed with in our amateur theatre ensemble--was diagnosed with leukemia, I knew it was time, and I committed to riding the 2005 PMC in memory of my Mom and in honor of Dick's fight (which sadly, he eventually lost). And my life was changed forever.
Fast forward again to 2024. 19 PMCs later, and over $175,000 raised for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund, and I can't wait to once again roll out of Sturbridge for my 20th with my PHAT Tuesday teammates at 5:30 in the morning on August 3rd headed to Provincetown! My 2024 fundraising goal is simple - to set a new PR, which will bring me within reach of the $200,000 milestone I hope to hit in 2025.
It's hard to fathom that at the age of 64, I have now outlived my Mom, who passed away when she was 63. Harder still is the realization that had she been able to benefit from the life-saving treatments that have been developed or introduced since her passing in 1998, she might very well have lived well past 63. But of course I can't change that. All I can do is continue to honor her memory by carrying the fight forward, and perhaps someone else I love will benefit from the amazing work being done as a result of the money we raise. I know that would make her smile.
I love the PMC because I love combining something I care deeply about with something I love doing. I'm motivated because cancer has touched my life, as it has surely touched yours. Cancer is the reason my children never really got to know their paternal grandmother. I don't want that to happen to their children, or to yours. That's why this fight is so important.
My Mom was a spirited, strong and active woman. She was never one to sit by idly. The PMC would have been right up her alley. She has always been my inspiration for doing this, and I'm so honored and thankful that I'm still healthy and strong enough to continue honoring her memory through this ride and this cause.
Regardless of what you love to do, or what inspires you to fight cancer, I hope you'll join the fight by making a contribution to my ride for as much as you are comfortable making.
Thank you for reading and for sponsoring my ride, and I'll see you on the road!
