This is my 15th year riding in the PMC. I was only a year old when my grandfather lost his fight with skin cancer. He battled long and hard for 5 years, but in the end, it was just too much. 25 years later, while I was training for my 4th PMC in his memory, cancer came back with a vengence. This time, it came for my grandmother. But she didn't get 5 years. She didn't even get 5 weeks. Pancreatic cancer took her fast and without mercy and it has left a gaping hole in our family tree ever since.

Each year makes this ride more and more personal, but it also makes it more and more worth it. I have numerous family members who call themselves survivors because of the incredible work happening at Dana Farber. Like the guy in this picture with me. Thanks to advancements in diagnoses and treatments, my dad's cancer was removed in a single operation, and he's been cancer free for over 6 years. I hop on my bike each summer so that more people can be living proof that the research at Dana Farber is working. I hope you will support this ride and this great institution as we fight, together, to continue to find a cure for cancer.