I'm proud to be participating in my 7th PMC ride! On August 6th I will ride 85 miles -- from Wellesley, MA to Bourne, MA. The PMC raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. Since 1980 $831 Million has been donated to Dana-Farber Cancer Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. This success is the result of a lot of people riding for, and caring about, a cure. And because every penny matters, 100% of rider-raised revenue goes directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure.

In November of 2014, after 6 long years, my mom lost her brave battle with Lung Cancer at just 71. My mom fought hard, but in the end the Cancer won. I miss my mom terribly. I was only 43...we deserved more years together, more laughter, more memories. Sadly, our story is not unique and too often the Cancer continues to win. We need to reverse this trend.

Feeling lost and helpless after losing my mom, I decided to ride in my first PMC in 2016. Not only did I raise $10,000 to fight this deadly disease, but I felt closer to my mom. From the laughter to the tears to the challeges and the friendships I realized that I CAN make a difference in helping to beat cancer. It ended up being the most impactful and meaningful experience of my life.

I consider myself lucky to ride on Team Perry which founded the Perry S. Levy Fund for Gastrointestinal Cancer Research at Dana Farber. Based on the money raised over the past 20 years ($7.5M+), Team Perry has had the honor of appointing a Fellow at the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center (GCC) at Dana Farber each year. The team's fundraising supports the fellow's annual salary as well as research efforts at Dana Farber. The fellow specifically focuses research on cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. These cancers will represent almost 1/4 of all new cancer diagnosis this year and will be responsible for 1/3 of the cancer deaths this year. To learn more about Team Perry and the impact we are making at Dana-Farber, visit TeamPerryPMC.com.

Team Perry will continue to be paired with a Pedal Partner who is fighting B-cell ALL, a form of childhood leukemia. Reina is a beautiful 12-year-old little girl who loves to do crafts and coloring. Reina was a major foodie before her diagnosis, she watches the Phantom Gourmet every Saturday & Sunday. Reina's family are so grateful to be welcomed into the PMC family and to have been paired with Team Perry. It's our pedal strokes that translate into dollars, and these dollars will continue to fund the salaries of some incredibly brilliant Fellows who've made enormous contributions to the research and treatment at Dana-Farber.

I've made a personal commitment to ride 85 miles this year and raise $10,000. We've all been touched in some way by this deadly disease. I hope you can help me achieve this significant goal so that others fighting cancer can win their battle. This would be my mom's dream. And while my mom is no longer here by my side physically, I know that in my heart she will always be.

Simply click the Donate to My Ride button to the right and help us make a difference in the fight against cancer. And pleasefollow/like TeamPerryPMC on Instagram or Facebook to watch our journey from training to crossing the finish line.

Every donation brings us closer by the mile...please consider contributing. Any amount, big or small, makes a difference and brings us one step closer to finding a cure for Cancer. Thank you for your consideration. With sincere gratitude and appreciation to your friendship and support.

P.S. Don't forget to ask your Human Resources department if they have a matching gift program and follow their process for a matching donation. Your donation is tax deductible and 100% will go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. To learn more about the Pan-Mass Challenge, visit www.pmc.org.

P.P.S. check out our PMC Team Page at http://www.pmc.org/TT0046