Here’s my fundraising pitch from last year, in the Before Times. I’ll post a COVID19-changed-everything update soon. But you know why I ride, and you know what to do. I thank you.
Guess what? I finally bit the bullet and will be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge again this year. My ride is on Sunday, August 4. Once again, I will ride 25 miles from Babson College to Patriot Place. Apparently this year riders get to do a loop around the inside of Gillette Stadium before crossing the finish line!
This year has special meaning for me, not only because it is my (lucky number) 7th ride, but it also marks 50 years being cancer-free after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma in my chest when I was an infant. We now know that most infants diagnosed with this cancer do extremely well, and the tumor sometimes even regresses on its own (!). At the time of my diagnosis, however, the standard of care was surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. There were not many randomized placebo controlled trials at that time, and research was largely anecdotal. I am told that my surgeon was one of the first clinicians to recommend withholding chemotherapy for this type of cancer, which turned out to lead to fewer complications without a reduction in survival. While I do have considerable side effects resulting from the radiation I received, as well as a very complex removal of a tumor which was growing out of my spinal cord, I am grateful that I did not sustain the end-organ damage I might have had if I had been subjected to more chemotherapy than I received.
I ride to support research into continuing to develop treatments that selectively target tumors without harming the rest of the body. I am asking for your support again this year. Did you know that 100% of rider-raised revenue goes directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure? The money you donate today will help more patients live longer, healthier lives after cancer in the years to come.
As I have in the past, this year I will carry the names and initials of people in my life and in the lives of people I love who have lived with cancer. If you would like me to carry your name or initials, or those of anyone you love, I would be honored to do so. If you email me or PM me on Facebook by 6pm on Saturday, I'll have a chance to physically write them down and have them with me.
And if you’d like to donate to my ride, find me at https://profile.pmc.org/MS0463.
Have a great weekend! More photos to follow.
