PMC 2025

Loss and Hope – A year in review

Michael Massey, June 16, 2025

Hope is an active state. It requires intention and must be nurtured. We must swim toward hope. It will not find us unless we look for it. For those of us in the throes of grief, it does get better with time. Grief evolves over time, but every new loss - parent, sibling, friend, home, job, election, feels like a gut punch or a broken rib. It is a brutal insult followed by pain and ache. I should feel lucky to have lost a parent as I am a senior citizen. I hoped that mom would hold on until I retired. Not so lucky.

Days after my birthday, I agreed to support moving our corporate R&D lab to a new facility out of state. An anguishing and disruptive move for my home life but a hopeful decision for the company to invent and develop new technologies for lifesaving disease research.

My personal theology believes it is my duty to work toward fixing a broken world – to healing the sick, comforting the mourner, fighting for justice and fairness; cherishing and nurturing a common respect for humanity in daily life.

As mom sank deeper into dementia, I came to cherish the person she had become – purely living in the moment. I stopped asking questions that I knew she couldn’t answer. Sometimes I would coax her out of a funk – the cloudiness in her head too much to handle. At the start of the call, when asked “How was your day?”, she replied “lousy.” Then, reluctantly, after some deep breathing exercises together, I told her about the family, as if we had just met. When I asked again “How was your day?”, she answered, “ok” or “good.” I knew I had done my job. It broke my heart that I couldn’t see her every week.

My friend Lisa was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023 and died 18 months later. She underwent 2 brain surgeries and multiple rounds of chemo and immunotherapy. She was an ardent Pan-Massachusetts Challenge supporter and met me at the Provincetown finish twice. In 2016, I rode for her first wife Liz when she was sick with ovarian cancer. I continue to ride in her memory.

I am dedicating this year’s PMC ride to Lisa’s memory. During last year’s ride, I discovered strength from deep in my heart, activated by adrenaline and hope. The last 10 miles of the 192 mile journey are challenging. A fierce cross wind bears down through Truro. Riders rely on each other in a pace line to cut through the wind. Most years, I push to keep on whatever pace line would have me. Last year, I was thinking of Lisa and the Hebrew prayer for the sick stuck in my head; A plea that Moses said when his sister Miriam was dying – “El na rifanah la”, God, please heal her. It became my mantra. With each breath, “El na rifanah la” – Heal Her! Heal Her! Each breath stronger. Tears welling in my eyes, adrenaline pumping. Briefly, I was leading the pace line – pulling my comrades through the wind. Later my teammate Lance said I was like a diesel freight train on that last pull. We ride together with prayers and hope th at our effort will pave the way for cures – maybe not in time for our loved ones (or ourselves), but others’ sons and daughters.

Our science is making strides in the right direction. But particularly aggressive forms of cancer are mysteriously increasing in young people. It will take difficult research to determine the cause of these trends. We are facing two steps forward, one step back.

I had a hard time coming up with hopeful words to share. This year was dominated by feelings of loss punctuated by intense moments of joy. Sharing time and space with family and friends, walks in the woods or playing ball or frisbee with our dog, delighting in nature, taking pictures, drawing, dancing, riding, inventing, composting, fixing the dishwasher.

Yes, I compost. I dump the food waste in the bin, fill it with leaves and flowers. I use my grandma’s garden tools that I saved when I cleaned out their house. I kept the pruning shears, spades, galvanized watering can, pitchfork, trowel, and claw. Grabbing the trowel, claw and pitchfork, I emptied out the rich soil from the bottom of the bin, digging into the ground and up into the compacted mass. I hollowed out 2 wheelbarrows full and spread it on the front lawn. It all seemed to disappear into the withered grass. I cleaned up, stirred the remaining woody matter – tired, sore, and ready for another year.

I am most hopeful thinking about Lisa’s daughters. I taught Sara to drive – mainly parallel parking and driving backwards. She passed her driving test on the first try! And Vivi graduated from UMass! We are so proud of their achievements.

For me, committing to ride the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a small act that I can do year after year to support the ongoing quest for curing cancers. I am grateful for your support and the fact that I can continue training and riding each year.

I wish you, your family and friends good health, and speedy healing.

Warm regards,

Mike

PMC 2024

Eleven years ago, I signed up for my first Pan-Mass Challenge. My cousin had just passed away from prostate cancer. I had lost my dad, aunt, uncle, and two cousins to cancer. Another cousin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In the face of such loss, I felt helpless but had to do something to stop the devastation that cancer leaves in its wake.

On August 3rd and 4th, I will again join thousands of cyclists in the PMC, a two-day, 192-mile ride across Massachusetts to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. I'm writing to ask for your financial support.

Please click here to donate online: https://profile.pmc.org/mm0590 If you would like to send a check, please make it out to PMC and include my rider# MM0590. PM me for the address.

Almost twenty years ago, my family was devastated when we lost my youngest cousin Tamara to breast cancer at the age of 37. In 2010, Jocelyn, Tamara's sister was diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer. Jocelyn has shown me that out of tragedy can come inspiration. It can harvest brave acts, kind deeds and physical abilities beyond one’s expectations.

After losing family and friends, we cannot back down in the fight against cancer. Our impact may feel insignificant – curing cancer is a marathon, not a sprint – but it is vitally important. That’s why I keep coming back to ride the PMC.

Every year biological scientists and clinicians are making steady progress to allow people with cancer to live longer with fewer side effects. If diagnosed today, my uncle’s CML would not have meant certain death. And thanks to CAR-T therapy, many leukemias can be cured completely.

Please help me reach a personal milestone - $100,000 total lifetime raised for DFCI. This year, the PMC expects to exceed $1Billion raised for cancer research and care.

Thanks for your support in this great effort.

Mike

PMC 2023

On August 5th and 6th, I will again join over 5,000 cyclists in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a two-day, 192-mile ride across Massachusetts to benefit the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. I'm writing to ask for your financial support.

Please help me raise $11,000 for my 11th year of riding the PMC. Send a check made out to the PMC to me or donate here:

https://profile.pmc.org/mm0590

Grit: courage and resolve; strength of character

Grit is passion and perseverance toward a goal despite being confronted by significant obstacles and distractions. People with grit work diligently on a task despite hardship, failures, discouragement, or self-doubt.

Cancer research takes grit. Over 75 years ago, Dr. Sidney Farber was convinced that the only thing standing between science and a cure for cancer was sustained research, sufficient funding, and the national will to bring it about. Farber had a hunch that a chemical that was used for anemia could stop uncontrolled cell division.

Farber tried the drug Aminopterin on a group of 16 children who were seriously ill with leukemia and found that 10 of them went into temporary remission. This early success in chemical treatment of cancer was met with a mixture of disbelief and resistance among the medical community. Farber was not dissuaded. He persisted and demonstrated further progress with Aminopterin. The discovery marked the first time Farber would overturn conventional medical wisdom or spearhead an advance against cancer. Farber knew cancer research would be a long journey and such endeavors would require a concerted effort and major funding commitments.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute continues the legacy of Sidney Farber’s breakthroughs in cancer research and provides life-saving cancer treatment to thousands of patients a year. Today, immunotherapy holds new promise.

Cancer research and care has come a long way since Farber’s early success with leukemia. We achieve new discoveries and treatments every year. The Pan-Mass Challenge has set a goal of raising $70 Million this year. It is the biggest fundraiser of its kind in the world. We need your continued support to continue Farber’s vision of curing cancer.

Please make a generous contribution to my PMC ride – 192 miles over 2 days across Massachusetts. It is my 11th year of riding the PMC. I hope you will help make it a great year for the PMC and finding cures for cancer. Send a check made out to PMC to me or click to donate online:

https://profile.pmc.org/mm0590

With love and appreciation,

Mike

PMC 2022

2022 marks my 10th Pan-Mass Challenge. Through my PMC journey, I experienced my own cancer scare - PSA levels several times above normal, prostate MRI and biopsy - thankfully benign. It's a common affliction for many men my age, but seeing my cousin succumb to his illness made the fear palpable.

It seems that when I ask about what they are up to, everyone says, I'm working like crazy. Well, it's been the same for me. The stress of working through a pandemic has taken its toll. Remote work often means insufficient down time and the long commute to the lab seems more of a burden than ever. For the last few years, our team has been designing and building instruments that help biomedical researchers to discover new disease therapies. For me the work is important and meaningful. For my general well being I've been taking long walks in the woods with the dog. And riding my bike.

As we work to fix a broken world, please help me to promote improved cancer care and outcomes and health equity through research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute by making a generous donation to my PMC ride today.

Yesterday, we spent 15 hours driving to my PMC training camp in northern Michigan. We join old friends, several who reminded me that this is the latest start for both my PMC training and fundraising. This years Pan Mass Challenge will be compressed and accelerated. My goal this year is $9000. I need your help to raise at least $7500 in 5 weeks. I promise to ride 750 training miles through July and 192 miles on PMC weekend, August 6-7.

Both the miles and the fundraising are quite a challenge; but every mile and every dollar is worth the effort. Sadly this year I’m adding 7 new ribbons to my Jersey - praying for good outcomes for new diagnoses and mourning our losses. Thanks to your support, my 10-year commitment to PMC and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has raised over $64,000 for cancer research and care.

Please help me meet and surpass my goal by making a generous donation today.

Finally, Allow me to honor and remember your loved ones by wearing a ribbon with their name on PMC weekend.

With Love and Appreciation,

Mike

PMC 2021

What a tragic, terrible, hopeful, desperate, heartbreaking, hunkering down, thankful, caring, hard working, appreciative, blessed, resiliant, miraculous year!

I'm hopeful for 2021 and grateful that my family and I are healthy and working through this pandemic. 2020 was also a difficult time for cancer patients and caregivers. We went through a year of not seeing the people who mean the most to us and feeling helpless to respond to those in need. Through it all, in some cases, cancer diagnoses were delayed. Those who had a diagnosis in the past year endured an even more scary, risky, and lonely battle, and in many cases, one that was further hindered or delayed due to COVID.

For the past 9 years, I have been actively training and fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge which takes place on the first weekend of August. This year, the PMC ride has been reorganized - no parties, social distancing, no overnight together. I will join my team, Kinetic Karma, in a safe ride from Wellesley to Provincetown, to help fund lifesaving cancer research and care at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Last year, the PMC made a phenomenal $50 million donation to Dana-Farber even in face of a re-imaginged ride during the pandemic, I am grateful for your support and contributions to my PMC rides, which total more than $60,000.

Cancer is oblivious to the pandemic – it didn't take the year off and works from home. Like the virus, cancer is a thief – it steals our loved ones and changes our lives forever. Today I’m asking for your financial support for Dana-Farber to continue their work finding cures for all types of cancer. Please donate to my PMC ride here:
https://donate.pmc.org/MM0590

Dana-Farber is one of the nation’s premier comprehensive cancer centers. Every dollar donated by you to the PMC goes directly to lifesaving cancer research and care.

Please help me honor family and friends who I have lost to cancer; cancer survivors; and those who are battling cancer by donating to Dana-Farber through the PMC:

https://donate.pmc.org/MM0590

With Love and Respect,

Mike