In Loving Memory and dedication to my Dad who survived cancer and has now passed on at 98 years old.
I have ridden 15 years in the Pan-Mass Challenge, with the hope of saving lives. On August 2nd and 3rd, I will dedicate a ride in honor of my father.
As I reflect on the nearly 2900 PMC miles I've ridden over the past 15 years, there has been a lot of laughter, tears, and blessings.
I started riding in the PMC because when I was 19, my loving mother Lois, fought her excruciatingly painful battle with ovarian cancer, and lost her life to this devastating disease. I've lost a grandfather, an aunt, and uncles to cancer. My father Stan battled and survived cancer. I continue to witness friends, neighbors, and colleagues suffer similar losses and heartbreaks.
The stories we share are immeasurable.
In Memory and Living Proof
In October 2018 avid cyclist, husband, father, and friend Bernd Peters lost his fight with bone cancer. Peter Wysocki, a spirited soul, lost his life to prostate cancer.William Olsen lost his partner Phillip Gentile, and Brian Breen lost his cousin Bill Cabral, both after long and painful battles with bladder cancer... Roberto Marin lost his mother Lidgia to ovarian cancer, and thankfully his sister Gloria is now a survivor of breast cancer...Mary Patterson lost her dear mother to ovarian cancer, and now, her brother Steve and sister Joanne servived cancer... Walter Puerta lost his mother Eldemiera to ovarian cancer... Colleagues Fred Brinkman and Francia Tabares are survivors... Paul Da Ponte lost his mother to Lymphoma... John Natsios lost his father Anthony... my sweet neighbors Angela, Loraine, and Phyllis to brain, stomach, and breast cancer...Phil lost his mother...My friend Don Etkin survived childhood cancer for 40 years...Three months after his 9th PMC ride 2009, he lost his life to a brain tumor... Two years later, Don's wife Kerry and I were both in the Living Proof photo, as survivors...
They have graced our lives with wonderful memories, and they will all be dearly missed. I continue to ride, to fight for those who died from cancer, and to help prevent another life from being lost.
Please help sponsor this amazing event. DCIF relies on PMC monies for their research and cancer care. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the Jimmy Fund, for Dana Faber Cancer Institute.
I am eternally grateful to all who have given so generously, through the years. When I see all the signs of Thank you, Bless you,You Rock!, and I survived lining the roads as I ride, I know how far those words reverberate. It is humbling to know that the collective effort will always be greater than my own. The ache in the muscles for the many miles traveled, will always be insignificant compared to the pain endured by those, for whom we ride.
Donations can be made by clicking on Donate links, or:
Profile Page: http://pmc.org/LL0072
Donation Page: http://pmc.org/egifts/LL0072
I thank all of my sponsors for their dedication, generosity and care.
Linda
