Greetings, family and friends,

Thirty-two years ago, in the summer of 1993, my heart was broken at the loss of Zachary Mauro Crawford, a beautiful 5-month-old boy whose brief but impactful life was cut short by cancer, a disease that does not discriminate. I started riding in the Pan Mass Challenge for Zachary just 3 weeks after he left this world. 32 years later, I’m still at it, my life forever changed by this gorgeous baby boy, whose smile lit up a room and whose picture will always be pinned to my shirt over my heart as I ride.

This year, raising money for Dana Farber is even more critical than ever and I again humbly ask for your support of the Pan Mass Challenge.

Yes, it’s time for my annual rite of summer, when I join my fellow PMC riders in using the power of the pedals to help raise crucial funds for cancer research. I keep riding because cancer is still among us and I will continue riding as long as my legs will carry me, getting closer by the mile to a cure.

For anyone reading about the Pan Mass Challenge for the first time, it is a is a bike ride, now in its 46th year, to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Jimmy Fund. For the last 19 years and counting, 100% of all rider-raised donations goes directly to the DFCI, one of the best cancer centers in the world. This fact, and the fact that we all have had cancer touch our lives in some way, makes it easy for me to ask for sponsorship year after year. This year’s PMC is on August 2-3, and for the 13th of my 32 rides, I’ll be riding for Team LUNGstrong.

The PMC’s $76 million goal in 2025 is more important than ever in a climate of economic uncertainty and science under attack. With 40% proposed cuts to NIH, the negative impact to Dana-Farber could be $50-$200m over the next four years.

I’ll let Billy Starr, founder of the PMC, explain why the ride is even more crucial in 2025:

NIH grants fuel the science that saves lives. These funds do not sit in an endowment, they’re at work in the labs and clinics of the Longwood Medical Area. Losing those funds and/or the people who utilize them means stalling progress. Risking jobs. Slowing the momentum in our fight against cancer. This is not politics. This is personal. Because when federal support is under attack, patients are the ones who pay the price. That is why what you do – what we do – matters more than ever. We are the largest single contributor to Dana-Farber. And when others may pump the brakes, the PMC community needs to accelerate.

So yes, we ride to raise money. But as importantly, we ride to protect progress. We ride to defend hope. And we ride to ensure that nothing—and no one—stands in the way of our funding the cures for cancer.

Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards you, my family and friends, for making the PMC part of your giving plan year after year. Your advocacy has made a difference for so many patients and their families at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute over the years. I don't take one dollar for granted - I could not do this without my incredible sponsors who believe in the PMC mission. I hope you'll consider coming along for the ride again this year; you may not be on a bike, but your support pushes me along every mile, and your loved ones are always in my heart as I pedal.

Please take a minute to review this document that details the work that the PMC makes possible at DFCI and why this vital work has to continue in the face of funding threats. Your contributions make this possible! Thank you!

https://view.publitas.com/pan-mass-challenge/pmc-2024-impact-report/page/1

This year is a tough one for Team LUNGstrong. We’ll be riding for the first time without our team founder and captain, Diane Legg, who died on December 30. Diane lived with Stage 4 Lung Cancer for almost 20 years and was just 62 years old. Diane rode the PMC for the last 13 years and was an inspiration in so many ways. This is a devastating loss for her family and our team, as well as the lung cancer community. After her diagnosis, Diane quickly became an effective patient advocate and worked tirelessly to raise awareness for the underfunded disease. She founded Lungstrong.org and Shine a Light on Lung Cancer in addition to the PMC’s Team LUNGstrong and her fundraising efforts through these groups have resulted in over $7m in innovative lung cancer research benefitting the Dana Farber and Mass General. Diane was a force, a remarkable woman who truly made a difference. I join all of Team LUNGstrong in carrying on her legacy. This first PMC without her will be difficult, but continuing her mission was never in doubt. She’ll always be with us. Her funeral service was beautiful, a true gathering of love to honor this unique, talented, kind and giving soul. I sent this out last year, but for those who are interested in her story, she gave an amazing speech at the 2024 PMC Heavy Hitter dinner – her speech can be found midway down the page. Diane Legg - 2024 HH speech.

Diane and me at PMC 2017:

Yes, 2024 was a tough year – I lost my Dad just after the PMC last summer, lost my dog the day after my wedding, lost my cousin Larry in early December, then lost Diane right before the year ended. As hard as it sometimes to keep moving, life does go on, and honoring the spirit of those I miss so much and living the lessons they taught me helps keep them close to my heart.

In closing, remember that the research funded by you through the PMC lengthens lives, saves lives, and gives people hope. In this world of uncertainty, we must keep progess and hope alive. Thank you for believing in and so graciously and generously supporting this extraordinary event.

Please pray for safe cycling and nice weather on August 2 and 3!

Thank you for your consideration,

Always,
Mary

To donate and see more of my PMC story, please visit: Mary's PMC Page

PS The number of cyclists who ride the PMC now tops over 6,500, and the annual gift to the Dana-Farber has grown into the upper tens of millions – the life-to-date total gift to the Dana Farber over the first 45 years of the Pan Mass Challenge, which started in 1980, is staggering; $1.05 billion through 2023. Yes, that’s correct - the PMC crossed the $1 billion life to date fundraising last year. What an accomplishment! As mentioned, 2025’s goal is $76 million. I’m sure Billy Starr, the event’s founder, could have never in his wildest dreams imagined that a bike ride across Massachusetts that he organized in memory of his mother back in 1980 would grow to be the largest athletic fundraiser in the country and the biggest annual contributor to the Dana Farber/Jimmy Fund.

Here is the PMC by the numbers:

PPS - Read on for more of my PMC story, and please know how much I appreciate and cherish your support, always.

My Pan Mass Challenge story began thirty two years ago, in the spring of 1993. I read about the PMC on a bulletin board at Children's Hospital, where I was visiting Zachary Crawford, infant son of my dear friends Linda and David. Zachary was born in February 1993, with an extra renal rhabdoid tumor and was being treated at the Dana Farber's Jimmy Fund Clinic. Already an avid long distance cyclist, I had heard of the PMC, but had no idea it was a benefit for the Jimmy Fund. Once I made the connection, I signed up immediately, determined to do whatever I could to raise money for an organization that was doing so much for Zachary and the Crawfords. Zachary lost his battle with cancer on July 13, 1993. I rode in my first Pan Mass Challenge 3 weeks later.

At that point, I never knew how much more personal the PMC would become for me. In April 2001, my world was turned upside down when I lost my mother, Priscilla. PMC 2001 was particularly emotional for me; as sad as I was, I knew my mother would be proud that I continued to ride, and her inspiration keeps me riding year after year.

Cancer has visited my extended family many other times over the years; I've lost my uncles, an aunt, a grandmother, my dear brother-in-law, Chris, and my brother-in-law, Father Tom. My cousin Priscilla (named for my Mom) is a many year cancer survivor, most certainly a beneficiary of the research that the PMC funds. Another cousin's husband was successfully at DFCI for Merkel cell. Of course we'd like to eradicate cancer, but until we do, early detection and successful treatment are our interim goals, and the PMC's impact on life-saving treatment is significant and ongoing.

Since my first PMC, in addition to Zachary and family members, many other people in my life and my friends' lives, have been touched by cancer and I ride for all of them, in memory of those who lost their fight and honor of those who have conquered cancer or are still struggling with it. It would take volumes to list all of the people I ride in memory or in honor of; 32 years worth of pedalling for so many loved ones. The numbers grow daily. That's why I keep riding, why the PMC keeps growing, and why we will never quit.

I've raised over $200,000 since I started riding. In 1993, I joined 1300 other riders in raising $2.3 million for the Jimmy Fund. This year, I'll take to the bike with over 6500 other cyclists, with a goal of $76 million. The 46 year PMC fundraising total is already over $1.1 billion! Amazing!!!

As I mentioned above, 100% of every dollar raised by riders is donated to charity - 100%! That is unprecedented, and a big reason I continue to ride. I am proud to ride with Team LUNGstrong for the thirteenth year in a row, raising funds for the LUNGstrong fund, in memory of my mother, whose cancer started in her lungs. As noted above, this will be a tough year without Diane, our captain and inspiration, but we will all have Diane in our hearts and minds, we know she’ll be motivating us and pushing us to cross the finish line safely.

The PMC has become a way of life for me. Anyone who rides it will tell you that it is far more than just a bike ride. It is a collective energy of hope, giving and healing, one that I can't imagine not being a part of. Every person who gets on a bike that weekend does so for their own reasons, and during PMC weekend all of our personal motivations become one as we hit the road and start the long weekend of pedaling. It's hard to summarize the Pan Mass Challenge in a short piece - I could write volumes. Suffice it to say that the spirit of the PMC lives in each rider and each volunteer year-round, and comes together in a most extraordinary way the first weekend of August each year.

Thank you for reading my story. If you have any questions, please email me. If you'd like to sponsor me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. An e-gift link is on this page which will enable you to donate by credit card or Venmo, or let me know at marycamp46@comcast.net and I can send you a pledge form and envelope. (Checks can be made payable to PMC.)