Dear Friends,

I am (again) asking for your support of the Pan Mass Challenge --the single largest contributor to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, accounting for more than 60 percent of its Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. A majority of the dollars raised by riders are unrestricted, which allows Dana-Farber to utilize it at their team’s discretion to support vital research and treatment trials that may have otherwise gone unfunded. In recent years, PMC funding has supported Dana-Farber researchers in leading clinical trials that resulted in the first CAR T-cell therapies approved by the FDA for indolent follicular lymphoma and multiple myeloma, a major milestone for patients with these cancers.

My family is grateful for the availability of CAR-T cell therapy for my husband Bob in 2023 when first-line chemotherapy did not reach a rare type of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Since December 2023, Bob has been cancer free.

Cancer again impacted my family this year after one of my siblings found out she had endometrial cancer. Treating at Dana Farber, I am confident that she will get the best treatment and have access if needed to the most advanced treatments available in the future.

2025 will be my eleventh year riding in the Pan Mass Challenge. I'll ride it this year with immense gratitude to all who contribute to cancer research, and to all of the health care providers who are making a difference. I'm riding it, as i do every year, carrying many names with me, including my husband Bob and my sister.

I am asking for your support of my fundraising again this year. Please also allow me to carry the names of any friends or loved ones of yours who have been affected by cancer.

I'm also adding that if you or a loved one is facing a cancer diagnosis, please consider a consultation at Dana Farber before embarking on treatment in your local community hospital. If you or a loved one is facing a recurrence of cancer, I'd urge you to also seek a consultation and find out what trial or studies might be available at Dana Farber that are not available at your local community hospital. https://www.dana-farber.org/appointments-second-opinions.

Sincerely,

Kathy