I'm a proud supporter of the PMC because it is leading a charge to beat cancer. In fact, last year 100% of rider-raised revenue went directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure. Although I have contributed for years to Team Kermit in memory of Jared Branfman and all my patients, family members and friends who have had cancer, 2024, which is the 20th Anniversary of Team Kermit, is the first year that I am riding the PMC. What brought me together with Team Kermit is friendship and the common bond of honoring and remembering, in particular, Jared Branfman. My son Zeke played soccer with his amazing brother Adam Branfman, and Steve, Jared's dad, was their coach. Jared was often present at games and practices and I still remember him well. Besides being a talented althlete, he was incredibly kind and resilient, even in the face of a devastating illness.

Team Kermit was formed in 2005 by Ellen, Adam, Jared, Steve, and many of their friends while Jared was undergoing treatment at the Jimmy Fund. Adam, Steve and the team, rode, while Ellen, Jared's mother,  and Jared volunteered, Jared doing bicycle repairs from a wheelchair. The team is named for Kermit the Frog of Sesame Street because Kermit was one of Jared's favorite childhood characters. Kermit represents the ability that people have to rise above the ordinary in order to achieve great results. Kermit's theme "It's not easy being green" became Jared's mantra and helped him endure and even laugh through the often grueling treatments. Jared was the epitome of determination, resolve, dedication, bravery, and passion. Kermit inspired Jared and reminded him and all and everyone that we are limited only by our own dreams and desires. In September 2005, after their second PMC, Jared passed away after a 2 1/2 year battle with brain cancer. He was 23 years old. In 2006, the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Cancer Research was created at the Jimmy Fund to support research into the family of brain tumors that Jared had, and is helping to make the dream of no more cancer a reality. It is a fitting legacy to Jared's wish to help others. I hope you will join me in honoring Jared's memory and make a gift to the PMC to fight childhood brain cancer.