I'm a proud participant in the Pan-Mass Challenge - a bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country - to bring us Closer by the Mile to a cure for cancer. Since its founding in 1980, the PMC has raised more than $1 billion for lifesaving cancer research, treatment and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the country's top cancer care hospitals. 100 percent of every dollar raised goes directly to support the innovative work of doctors, nurses, and scientists in their search for cures for cancers and related diseases.

I ride for the man who taught me how to ride a bike - my uncle, George Le Fort. He is the most tenacious, generous, and funniest man I know. He is always there with a helping hand, a word of advice, and a self-deprecating story to make you laugh. He has battled not one, not two, but three different cancers in his lifetime. He has fought through grueling treatments and still tackled ambitious house projects in between rounds. He is currently in a clinical trial at Dana Farber to fight pancreatic cancer. The treatment makes him extremely allergic to the sun, so the team at Dana Farber equipped him with UV protection clothing so he can go outside safely without risking severe chemical burns. This type of care would not be possible without funds from organizations like the PMC.

Every dollar I raise will be donated to pancreatic cancer research in honor of my uncle George and countless others who have had to face this horrific disease, including my grandfather and my dear friends' fathers Richard Vicino, Peter Serkin, and René Gonzalez. I also ride to honor and celebrate those have endured their own battle with cancer, including Dani Rosen, Mary Fonseca, Laura Tiderman, and Victoria Mickle.