This year’s Pan-Mass Challenge will be different. The PMC is typically a 2-day, 190-mile bicycle ride that stretches from the middle of Massachusetts, ending at the tip of Cape Cod. As the global pandemic rages on, it’s imperative to keep everyone as safe and distanced as possible – making a 6,000 person ride impossible and cancelling PMC 2020.

But cancer has not taken a break. Cancer continues to affect millions, including my Grandma Pat, who was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer and Lung Cancer earlier this year. Grandma Pat has had difficulty receiving the treatment she needs since our health care system is overloaded by COVID-19 – making it critical to support facilities like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The PMC’s mission remains the same: to raise money for cancer research and treatment, with 100% of all donations going directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

My team, the Goose Rocks Beach Cyclists, remains dedicated to that mission and to riding 192 miles on what would’ve been PMC weekend 2020. Each of my team members and I remain committed to raising as much as possible to support Dana-Farber and the patients and families that continue to be stricken with cancer. Last year our team raised a little over $168,000 for the PMC, but this year we are aiming to raise over $175,000! If we reach that goal, then my team will also reach our long-term goal of over $1,000,000 raised for the PMC since our team was established in 2013.

I’ve set my fundraising goal at $5,000 and encourage you to be part of our #MarchToAMillion by donating. It would mean the world to me as the grandson of a cancer fighter, a rider in the PMC, and thousands of others that will benefit from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.