Friends,

It's that time of year again. The time for the 165-mile Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) ride to beat cancer!

Despite having raised over one billion dollars for cancer research in the 45 years since the PMC started, cancer still has a winning record. This year, cancer claimed the life of a truly fearless leader, Diane Legg. I have been fortunate enough to know Diane and be part of Team LUNGstrong for a decade. Year in and year out, Diane was the inspirational leader who brought the 50+ person Team LUNGstrong together en route to raising over $5M for cancer research. Even when she was going through chemotherapy for her stage IV lung cancer, Diane rode on for years. When Diane could no longer ride, I could always count on seeing her smiling face at the rider regristration.

Inspired by Diane's love, persistence and generosity, I have organized the Crimson Canucks, a group of seven very good friends who have completed 50 PMC rides. The Crimson Canucks also includes my oldest daughter, Emma (see photo), and three other Gen Z first-time riders, one of whom, Kira Hobson, helped save the life of her younger brother by doing a stem cell transplant when she was five years old. At the time, her brother Brett was six months old and suffering from a rare form of leukemia, JMML. Thanks to Kira, the doctors and the research-fueled miracles of modern medicine, Brett beat cancer.

Thanks in advance for keeping the fundraising tradition of Diane Legg, Team LUNGstrong and now the Crimson Canucks going so that more cancer patients like Brettt become the ones with the winning record.

Ride On!

mike