This will be my 6 year doing the PMC and raising money for the Jared Branfman Sunflowers for Life Fund. This year I have singed up for the Reimaged Ride. Still working out what the ride will be!

Why continue to ride? If Jared were alive today, there would be treatment for him today. We are making a difference with every mile and every dollar. Our Pedal Partners, Declan, give us strength every day to raise money for research to help find a cure.

My goal is to raise 3,000 dollars. http://profile.pmc.org/MF0312 [http://profile.pmc.org/MF0312]

Your donation goes to the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain and Spinal Cancer Research. This fund supports efforts by Dr. Pratiti (Mimi) Bandopadhayay to identify targetable vulnerabilities in pediatric glioma and to develop new, more effective therapies that attack only cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed. Many pediatric gliomas have a specific mutation in the FGFR1 gene, which is involved in cellular functions such as proliferation, maturation, survival, and the development of new blood vessels. The team is working to understand how FGFR mutations and rearrangements can be targeted in pediatric gliomas. These studies are also helping clinicians decide which patients with gliomas need further treatment after surgery. Moreover, they can evaluate outcomes in those who receive additional treatment and those who do not. Insights from this work could ultimately help our investigators to develop new, more targeted therapies that maximize drug sensitivity while minimizing late effects.

Let's work together so my child and grandchildren and yours never have to ask: Mom, Dad, what's cancer?