Dear Friends,
Thank you for supporting me as I ride my eleventh Pan-Mass Challenge! On August 2-3, 2025, I will be riding 186 miles from Sturbridge, MA to Provincetown, MA. As always, I am riding in honor of my mother, Nimette, to support cancer care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.
Many of us have friends and loved ones who have battled cancer. There are so many whose lives have touched mine: my high school classmate, Eric, whose life changed when he developed a meningioma; the mother of my best friend from college, who died of breast cancer; my friend and colleague from residency who died during his chief year; and the mother of a dear friend of mine, who died of metastatic breast cancer. In September 2014, cancer struck even closer to home for me, when my mother’s “routine” gallbladder surgery showed not gallstones, but metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoma, a rare and agressive cancer that also took the life of my residency classmate ten years before. When mom as diagnosed, the average survival for neuroendocrine carcinoma is 18 months from diagnosis, and there had not been a breakthrough in treatment since the 1980s. When we asked about new treatments and clinical trials, her oncologist told us there was little to no chance any would be available for my mother. Mom's cancer inevitably progressed, and she was offered a trial of immunotherapy, a treatment which has shown promise in treating many types of cancer. Sadly, the treatment did not work, and she passed away on July 20, 2016.
I joined the PMC in 2015 because I wanted to do something tangible to show my appreciation for those caring for my mother, and to help in the fight against cancer. When I committed to my first ride, I had no idea how rewarding an experience it would be. My fondest memory of that ride is hearing my mother's voice as I called her from the finish line, thanking me for riding in her honor. In 2016, a few months before she passed away, she told me, I don't think your ride will help me, but maybe it will help someone else. I am proud to continue riding in her memory.
I am also happy to share that in 2024, two new immunotherapy treatments were found to extend survival in small cell lung cancer, an aggressive form of lung cancer whcih is very similar to mom's neuroendocrine carcinoma. Such an advancement would not have been possible without you, as much of PMC's fundraising is used by Dana-Farber to conduct cancer research. At a time when our government's support of medical and scientific research is uncertain, your ongoing support means more than ever before!
My Links
www.phattuesday.org
