Dear Friends and Family,

For the sixth year in a row, I am participating in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) as part of Team 3G. The PMC is a fully-supported bike-a-thon to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

On August 2nd and 3rd, I will ride a total of 167 miles from my home in Needham, MA to Provincetown, MA.  I am a year-round cyclist and thus, never stopped training for this annual event!  I managed to bike outside 6 times in January and once in February.  I've been getting outside quite a bit now that it's March and the roads are no longer covered in ice.  And when I can't bike outside due to weather, I'm on my Peloton!

I am motivated to take on this challenge for my good friend, neighbor, and cycling buddy Amy Fradkin. Her non-smoking husband Gregg (representing all three Gs behind Team 3G) was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer 5 ½ years ago and given a 7% chance of surviving 5 years. Thankfully, he is still with us. Amy started PMC Team 3G after learning some alarming statistics about how little money was going towards lung cancer research.

As team captain, Amy determines how to donate the funds raised by Team 3G members. In year one, 100% of the funds raised were delivered to thoracic oncology for lung cancer research. In other years, in addition to lung cancer research, we have supported cancers impacting our team members, including lymphoma. This meant a great deal to me and my family as my mother has been treated for many years for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  She is now suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), likely caused by all of her cancer treatments. Team 3G has also supported research for ovarian cancer, uveal melanoma, gastrointestinal cancer, and brain cancer, specifically glioblastomas.

In 2024, Team 3G raised over $623,000!  This is incredible for a team that has only existed for 5 years!

Please consider supporting my effort this summer. The power of the pedal stroke is enormous, and we are witnessing donations put to immediate use. We have seen and met the doctors behind new science and new hope. Without your generosity, none of this exists.

You can find me on the local roads at 5:15 am or on the Peloton with the user name MaddySwim.

I appreciate all of your support.

With much gratitude,

Maddy

http://profile.pmc.org/MZ0048