Why I Ride?
This will be my ninth year riding the PMC as a member of Team Year Up (although the last few years we've been riding one-day or reimagined rides with weddings and COVID, so I'm excited to get back to the full weekend ride with the team!)
Similar to past years, all of my fundraising will go directly to support the Dmitri Itzkovitz Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund, which directs all of its funds to the DFCI pediatric brain tumor lab.
We've made some big strides over the years thanks to your support! As a reminder of the progress: We directly funded a drug trial to treat low grade pediatric brain cancer with positive results. This is an incredible milestones that would not have been possible without the funding from this team.
But there have been set backs too... so I know that our work isn't over. We continue to see cancer impact the lives of our families, friends, and their loved ones, which continues to motivate me to ride every August.
Please consider donating to support this incredible cause and my ride - any donation, small or large, can make a dramatic difference. I really appreciate all of your support!
Some Additional Background: Why I Support the Dmitri Itzkovitz Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Fund:
I'm dedicating my fundraising to this research fund because children's brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for kids under 14. Also, because I ride in honor of Dmitri Itzkovitz and his family, who have shown incredible strength ever since we met nearly 10 years ago. Two days after the 2015 PMC, he underwent brain surgery and spent the months after recovering - re-learning how to walk and talk, as well as slowly recovering his memory and cognitive skills. Just in the past two years, as Dmitri was preparing to attend college (an incredible opportunity), he had a major medical set back - resulting in again re-learning how to talk and walk again. But he continues to show up every day, even making it to my wedding in October! He's been an inspiration to me over the years. Showing me and the people around him how fragile and incredible life is, and how it's important to never miss a Celtics game. We continue to ride for Dmitri and so many other families facing these challenges with a child that has cancer.
