A little bit harder and a little bit more, a little bit further than you gone before…
This will be my seventh year with the Pan Mass Challenge. Each time is different but the cause is the same: support Cancer Research and Treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. It’s where my friends and relatives have been cared for, and where breakthrough treatments have been developed.
This time will be a challenge: a two-day ride from Wellesley to Provincetown on the first weekend in August, more than 160 miles. For support, I joined Team F.L.A.M.E.S., a group of over a hundred riders. They share my focus on lymphoma and other blood cancers. I like them. You can read about them at https://profile.pmc.org/tf0063. They are, of course, not the only resource I count on. There’s Phyllis, my kids, my extended family, especially my brother Bart, who lost his wife, Grace-Marie to cancer two years ago, and all of you.
It’s not the route that matters, it’s the meaning of the ride. I lost a brother when I was seven and then my mother eight years later, both from cancers that are treatable now. This ride offers a community that understands. The PMC is a shared experience of grief and of hope; some riders are survivors, what the PMC calls ‘living proof.’ These are amazing people: organizers, thousands of volunteers, six thousand riders, and most importantly, the network of supporters who contribute. My wish is that someday there will be no need for the ride.
Aside from my gratitude, donors get my yearly ride review, which I love writing.
One more note: my goal is raising ten thousand dollars. You can donate on the PMC site in a variety of ways, including Venmo and DAF’s. You can look for my Facebook fundraiser, but make sure it is connected to my I.D. Most companies include the PMC for matching donations. You can even send a check. And everything (yes, 100%) you donate goes directly to Dana Farber. -Ron
Every time that Wheel turns round, bound to cover just a little more ground- Jerry Garcia
