I'm a proud supporter of the PMC because it is leading a charge to beat cancer. In fact, last year 100% of rider-raised revenue went directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure.
Why am I riding?
Like so many of you, I've been impacted by cancer. Both of my parents battled cancer at multiple points in their lives. My father's experiences, first in 2006 and again in 2008, with cancer are what motivated me to begin raising money for Dana-Farber. Since that first marathon for Dana-Farber in 2008, I've been committed to raising awareness and funds for cancer research and treatment.
On New Year's Eve 2017, we lost my mother-in-law Diane Stanford. In all, her battle with cancer lasted a total of 18 months. Diane was an amazing soul who gave so much to my family. Dad passed in October of 2018 - unrelated to his battles with cancer. More recently, my mother, a 40-year breast cancer survivor was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September of 2020. Mom battled hard for 6-months before she ultimately lost her battle in March of 2021. Like so many of you, my life has been forever changed by cancer.
I used to tell myself that I would continue to do this until I could go a year without someone close to me being diagnosed with cancer. I realize now that I can't do that. I will ride for Mom, I will ride for Dad, I will ride for Diane and I will ride for anyone else who battles cancer for as long as I'm able.
Since 2019, I've chosen to direct funds raised to the Jacob Gainey fund to Support the Pediatric Low-Grade Astrocytoma Program at Dana-Farber. Jacob is the son of a fellow rider and a wonderful success story. Jacob's father Ken has dedicated incredible time and resources to help generate $1.5mm to launch their second clinical trial.
I hope you will support my challenge by giving a gift to my run and, in doing so, help bring an end to the challenge of cancer.
Thank you so much!
Mike
