On 12 prior occasions I have set out to raise funds as part of my participation in the Pan Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.The mission of the PMC is to raise money for life-saving cancer care and research ithrough the Jimmy Fund. I do this in an effort to help those fighting cancer and to honor the memory of my father and those friends, family, and loved ones we have lost to this disease. It also helps me and my family reflect on how truly fortunate we have been and continue to be. My motivation to do this in the past came mostly from the experiences of family and friends that were shared with me. This continues to be the case, but it seems that every year I hear increasing numbers of stories of how this disease impacts so many people that I have not met, but with whom I share many things in common.

This year is a bit different, for me at least. I was hospitalized after a bike accident in May and, with the support of my family, visting nurses, and physical therapists, I was cleared this week to resume riding on the road. i am not in the condition i would like to be at this point, but I do have some time, and powerful incentive, to be ready for PMC Weekend.     

I ride in the PMC because it is a remarkable collective effort to combat a relentless disease that impacts us all in so many ways. While i enjoy the many people I meet who share this passion, it is also a rare opportunity for introspection, or, as one friend refers to it, "rolling meditation". I enjoy the physical challenge as well, and while my recent experience provides a pretty good excuse to take a year off, or do less than i committed to do, I am not going to do so. It is a truly worthy cause, the need remains the same, and cancer does not pause or take a year off. This is a life-affirming event I look forward to every year and that is no different.

Like many of you, my family is no stranger to this disease. My father lost his battle with cancer at age 49 and I have a brother who successfully beat this disease over 31 years ago. I have college roomates, some of whom who have children who have dealt with this disease, and a number of friends who have dealt with cancer in various forms, some of whom are literally alive today because of the care they received at Dana Farber. Their experiences help renew my determination to do something again that could help the effort to combat this disease.

Each time I have participated in this event I felt like I was part of something much bigger than myself that was truly making a difference and contributing to the real advances being made at this tremendous institution. This disease will be beaten, and when it is I am convinced it will be due in large part to the amazing work that continues at this institution.

This year I am again a member of the Patriots Platelet Pedalers, a remarkable team of riders sponsored by the New England Patriots Foundation and the Kraft family, that raised over $1.4 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2021. Cyclists are required to raise between $600 and $8000 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route. I will be ridfing from Sturbridge to Bourne on Saturday August 6, 2022 and from Bourne to Provinctown on Sunday. They tell me it will be 186 miles over two days. My goal is to raise $6000. Your donation is fully tax deductible and thanks to corporate underwriting of the event, every single dollar donated goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to help patients and continue its groundbreaking research. Please donate on line using the link http://profile.pmc.org/MM0205 or mail donations to me at 11 MacNeill Drive, Southborough, MA 01772. Please make checks payable to the PMC.

Thank you, again, for your help in battling this disease!