Dear Friends and Family,

Wow, more than two full years have now elapsed since my breast cancer diagnosis and surgery! No one was more surprised than me in early 2022 when I found a lump in my left breast. Several scans and a biopsy confirmed breast cancer. My primary care doctor quickly arranged appointments at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) where I met with world renown specialists in male breast cancer (who knew!) The doctors acted fast and within weeks, I underwent a full mastectomy along with removal of two lymph nodes. Then, I anxiously awaited lab results and genetics testing. Fortunately, the results indicated that the cancer was found early (Stage 2), had not spread to the adjacent lymph nodes and there was no need for radiation or chemotherapy.

Since that diagnosis and treatment, I have now ridden in two more PMC’s, and with generous donors like you, I have since raised $28,000, bringing my lifetime total to over $136,000!!! It is a tremendous show of support, and I am so very touched by the outpouring of generosity.

I consider myself very fortunate to have found the cancer early and to live in the Boston area with such easy access to Dana Farber and the best cancer doctors and treatments in the world. The doctors, nurses and specialists at DFCI make every patient feel special while providing the best cancer care offered anywhere. During this past year, I have had several follow-up scans at Dana Farber and I am very happy to report that I am cancer-free at this time. I have been riding and training for my 14th PMC and I’m sending you this letter to ask for your continued generous support.

This year, I am excited to let you know that I will be riding with a new team, Bunger’s Bikers. My good friend Jeff Olsen is the captain of this team and we ride many miles together during the course of the year. Jeff lost his wife Hillary to breast cancer in 2018, you can see him riding their tandem, with her empty seat, in the photo above. It is very fitting that with my personal breast cancer diagnosis, and all the time that Jeff and I spend together, that all money I raise this year will be directed to the Hilary J. Olsen Fund For Metastatic Breast Cancer Research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

I could go on but will get to the point of this letter - to give you the opportunity to feel good, to make a difference, to be generous, to take part in the Pan-Mass Challenge. I have not let cancer slow me down, so my role, as usual, will be to ride nearly 300 miles. Your role in this challenge is to make a generous donation. If you've already donated, THANK YOU for your generous support!

If you would like to dedicate your donation to someone dear, please include his or her name in a note or include a picture. In their honor, I will carry the notes and pictures on my ride. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Together we can help find a cure for cancer!

With much thanks, love and appreciation,

Larry