On 9 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. Each time I have done so in an effort to help those fighting cancer and to honor the memory of those friends and loved ones we have lost to that 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 this event, like so many things, is quite different because of the pandemic.  I enjoy the physical challenge, but I will miss the comraderie that comes with riding with the thousands of cyclists, the logistical support provided by the event organizing team, the cookouts at the end of both days, and many other things, to be sure.  But the pandemic, and recent events, have served to remind me why i do this. 

I recently attended a funeral service in Massachusetts for a wonderful woman who passed away down at much too young an age in North Carolina where she and her family moved over 14 years ago.  I sat in the church and listened to the moving words of her daughter, now a wife and mother herself.  She is a contemporary of our children and when she was a child she was diagnosed with cancer and beat it with the help of her family and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The funeral was an understandably sad affair, but was quite uplifting and life affirming as well.  

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 29 years ago. Each time I have participated in this remarkable 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. 

I have had a number of friends deal with this disease in various forms, some of whom are literally alive today because of the care they received at Dana Farber. To name a few, this past year a neighbor and one of my brothers' best friends have battled different forms of cancer and their experiences helped renew my determination to do something again that could help the effort to combat this disease.

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 $1.35 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2019. Cyclists are required to raise between $600 and $8000 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route. I have chosen a route that runs through Central Massachusetts the first day and from Bourne to Provinctown on Day 2. A bit different than the traditional routes but it will be 190 miles over two days. My goal is to raise $5500. 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 for your help in battling this disease!