On August 3-4th I will be riding the 192 mile Pan Mass Challenge to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. I have supported the Pan Mass Challenge for many years and have always wanted to do the ride myself, but never got my act together. This year that changes.
In January, we abruptly lost my 65-year-old mother-in-law, Meg, far too soon after a brief but courageous battle with breast cancer. While it was an infection that eventually took her life, make no mistake that the aggressive chemo regimen that masked symptoms and made the infection extremely difficult to treat was to blame.
As I sit here writing this note, I am still in disbelief that she’s gone given a year ago at this time she hadn’t yet received her diagnosis. She was one of my favorite people – not lost on me that you don’t hear many son-in-laws saying that about their MIL – and her shine, sense of humor, and love of life are things I’ll miss the most. She was one of the good ones and it’s devastating that she won’t be there to make more memories with her husband John, daughters Sara, Sheila and Mary, and her nine (all under 9 years old) grandchildren, whom she absolutely adored. Navigating the aftermath of grief as a family has us embracing each moment together and doing everything we can to protect other families from having to endure similar pain.
In the last month, we also said goodbye to my aunt Ann who was one of the kindest and warmest people you will come across, after she succumbed to her own fight with Melanoma. Witnessing her kids and grandkids endure the deep grief of sickness and loss only further proved how unforgiving and indiscriminate this disease is.
With that said, there is hope. The advances in modern medicine are encouraging and the research that Dana-Farber is leading is truly inspiring. Yet, we still have a lot more work to do and every cent raised in the PMC goes directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund (over $970M since it’s inception in 1980).
Should you be so inclined, you can donate to my ride on this page – no amount is too small.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Love, Mike
