Fun Fact: 1980, the year Billy Starr founded the Pan-Mass Challenge, I was graduating from Needham High School and getting ready to start freshman year at UNH.

Fast forward to 2019: This year, I'm about to celebrate my 35th year as a UNH graduate ... and to join my LUNGSTRONG teammates in what will be my 7th Pan-Mass Challenge ride from Wellesley to Provincetown on August 3 & 4. Why? Because the money we raise is improving and extending the lives of lung cancer patients everywhere by funding life-saving clinical trials. That's worth some sweat, tight muscles and a sore butt any day of the week!

We have living proof of the success of these clinical trials in our teammate and 14-year lung cancer survivor, Diane Legg. She is an amazing person and a passionate advocate for lung cancer patients -- and she rides the Pan-Mass Challenge right along with the rest of her 70-person team! In 2011,Diane founded LUNGSTRONG, a nonprofit organization that funds innovative lung cancer research, and she has raised more than $3 million for lung cancer research. We're happy to report she is currently participating in a clinical trial that is showing very promising results, and we all appreciate the very smart medical professionals at both Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Hospital who are putting our funds to good use.

I could not be more grateful for all the support my family and friends have given me over the years for this cause that is so near and dear to my heart ... and I hope you will consider supporting me again this year.

For those who would still like to make a donation, you can do it online: use Google and type in www.pmc.org, then click on PMC Profiles and type Robin Schell where it says Search. Click on my name and you'll come to my page...then click on Donate To My Ride. You can also write a check made out to the Pan-Mass Challenge and send it to me at 5 Ashley Dr. Amesbury, MA 01913 -- we can accept donations for this year's ride up until Oct. 1st.

For local friends, watch for news of our 6th Cheers to a Cure! campaign and on Thursday, March 14th, Ristorante Molise in Amesbury is sponsoring a fundraiser for Team LUNGSTRONG -- eat lunch or dinner there on that day and we will get 25% of sales! We are very grateful to Antoinetta and Elisa, the owners of Ristorante Molise, for this generous fundraiser in honor of their father who passed away from lung cancer.

With deep appreciation,

Robin Peters Schell, Proud To Be A Team LUNGSTRONG Member!