This is my 4th PMC -- and it's great to be able to ride together again!
After two and a half years of COVID, my commitment is renewed, and I'm riding again in support of Partner In Health's global cancer care program, in honor of our patients worldwide who are fighting cancer, and in remembrance of my grandfather.
As an emergency physician, access to high-quality cancer care is part of my practice every day. In Boston, at the Brigham Emergency Department, I have the privilege to take care of patients from Dana Farber. They receive the best care possible from some of the best specialists in the world.
With Partners In Health, I also have the privilege of caring for cancer patients. At our PIH sites in Haiti, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Rwanda and all of our hospitals in our 11 countries, patients come to the ER seeking care for their cancer. They often have nowhere else to go. In many countries, there is no cancer care -- and we are often the only provider. Our ER teams work with our oncology staff to make diagnoses, connect patients to care, and provide whatever treatment possible.
In the last 3 PMCs with your generous support, I raised nearly $30,000 for cancer care for our patients in Rwanda and Haiti. Many of my family and friends donated money to this cause to directly impact lives they’ve never even met.
These last 2 years have been far different from any of us imagined. We’ve all been affected - directly or indirectly. Like COVID, cancer does not respect differences in country, race, or sex. The pandemic has disrupted cancer care across the globe, meaning interruptions in care and costly delays in diagnosis.
PIH has been supporting the provision of cancer care in Haiti and Rwanda for over 10 years and has been working tirelessly to strengthen the programs and services available. Despite the challenges, we continue to innovate to help those most in need. In Rwanda, we are using drones to delivery chemotherapy (for an amazing video, watch here: https://youtu.be/vRQrmTv-sKs) and have built a beautiful family housing unit, so patients from all parts of the country can stay locally . In Haiti, social support packages help pay for food and transportation.
We've ridden the PMC as a group of dedicated Ekip Oncologie riders since 2017. I know that this continues to be a difficult time, but if you can support our ride and, more importantly, our patients, I would be so grateful. Please donate whatever amount is comfortable for you. Even a small donation goes a long way.
As Ekip Oncologie, we are a group of riders committed to addressing cancer in some of the most resource-poor areas of the world. More than half of the global cancer burden occurs in low and middle income countries—but only 5% of resources are used there— we are attempting to bridge the gap between those who have access to care and those who don’t, especially in this particular time of need.
Our team goal is to raise over $30k together -- and my personal goal is to raise $6k for the team. 100% of every dollar goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to the Center for Global Cancer Medicine (CGCM), to support PIH's cancer work and our patients. Here's the link to our team page if you'd like to read more: https://profile.pmc.org/TE0076
Thank you for supporting me, Ekip Oncologie and most importantly, the care of our patients in Haiti and Rwanda.
Regan
