Cancer is a thief. It steals time from people, time that could be spent with the ones we love. I wish I had a little more time to spend with my father, and that he had time to spend with his granddaughter, before we were all robbed of our priceless time together.

Dana-Farber supports health care workers finding creative treatments to save lives in the fight against cancer, to give people that extra time. In this uncertain time, it is difficult to think about anything other than the current health crisis, but in the US every year about 1.7 million people in are diagnosed with cancer and about 600,000 die. Through the solutions being pursued by Dana-Farber and others, we can help preserve time with our loved ones, and those extra moments – be it weeks, months, or years – are priceless. I would have given anything for one more cocktail on Strider with my dad, one more joke, one more hoot before the sun went down, and I am sure he would have given anything to hold his granddaughter at least one time. Hopefully, this is an opportunity to give someone else those extra chances.

When I saw our team captain, Justin Unger, post that they were looking for teammates to join a ride to support Dana Farber, I thought it would be a great occasion to mix two things that are important to me: biking and the fight against cancer. Then, I came to find the team was called the Domestiques, which solidified the mission. In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of his or her team and leader, rather than trying to win the race... Where or when the domestique finishes a race is less important than the help he gives.

This year, this message is more important than ever. I am going to be riding in some modified format the weekend of August 1st and 2nd, with more details to come as the current pandemic situation evolves. Although the race won’t take place as it normally would, with the big starts and finishes I imagine are typical, it only makes it more important to keep our focus on the goal of giving. All rider-raised revenue for the PMC goes directly to support the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure and hopefully this year, even in lieu of the big splashy event, we can help as much as possible to continue to support this worthy cause.

Please join me in supporting the health care workers and doctors to stride toward a cure to give people the greatest gift of all: more time with their loved ones.

Thanks for your support!

-Spencer