In 2007, my father, Mike McCaffrey, was diagnosed with cancer. My parents immediately wanted him to receive his treatment at Dana-Farber. Faced with a poor prognosis, Dana-Farber gave my father, and our entire family, hope during what seemed to be a hopeless time. Over the next year, those treating Dad became extensions of our family. They provided us with strength when we needed it, and someone to listen to our struggles and offer ways to address it. Most importantly, they gave us that year. Without the treatment they provided, we would have had a much shorter time. Unfortunately, Dad passed away in April of 2008. While he lost his battle against cancer, his courageous spirit endures and has inspired almost all who knew him- especially me, my mom, and my sister.

Since Dad's passing, our family has tried to live by his favorite wisdom, A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. With this in mind, Mom and I have challenged ourselves with the Sturbridge to Provincetown ride this year. We have been training and cannot wait to do this ride together.

I proudly ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge because it is leading a charge to beat cancer by funding life-saving research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This year, I will be supporting the PMC by fundraising. If you are able, please help us fund the cures for cancer. The PMC is committed to this mission and 100 percent of funds raised by PMC participants go directly to Dana-Farber.