Dear Family and Friends,
My brother Jon and I are looking forward to cycling in our 41st PMC together, but I have hard news to share: In January doctors determined that Jon has a treatable but not curable brain tumor.
Jon immediately had surgery, and the most accessible part of his tumor was removed. Surgery was followed by aggressive chemo and radiation treatment. The good news is that his team is currently happy with his response to treatment. The bad news is that this treatment has left him chronically tired, and often cognitively foggy.
JON AND ME ON A TRAINING RIDE JON AND OUR FRIEND ELLEN ON A RECENT RIDE
So Jon joins 1/3 million Americans who are living with a malignant brain tumor. Until now I never thought much about how a patient sits with this reality, or about the nature of one’s planning for the future. But from the moment Jon got off the operating room table he rallied around two ideas: to train for and ride the 2025 PMC, and to stay healthy and active for as long as possible. His doctors said yes, train and ride. And they affirmed that this would feed into his second objective. His energy level means he’ll do a shorter ride than usual, but he’s been training with me, with his daughter Rachel, and with many of his cycling friends. We’ll be on this ride together this year!
Please join us, and support the work of the PMC’s benefactor, Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Please make as generous a donation as you can, in honor of Jon, and in honor and in memory of your family members and friends who are living with or have died from cancer.
Why is the PMC so important in the fight for better cancer outcomes? We know that cancer research and treatment receive lots of federal dollars. But federal dollars generally only come in later, during the trial phase, when a promising approach is being vetted. The development of these promising approaches at earlier stages depends upon charitable donations, and PMC money has been critical in creating numerous groundbreaking therapies that are prolonging lives and reducing suffering.
I’m doing the classic 200-mile August PMC ride and adding a second PMC ride this September called the PMC Unpaved, in hopes of becoming an even more effective fundraiser. The PMC Unpaved is in its 4th year – this Berkshire-based, 50-mile gravel and dirt ride gives a participation option for people who are not available during the early August date when the main PMC is normally run. It is also a shorter ride with a lower fundraising commitment, so it allows people who want to “test the waters” easier access to the event. If you haven’t ridden before and would like some information about PMC Unpaved, please reach out to me!
My personal goal is to raise $13,500 for the PMC this year. Would you please support this effort? Remarkably, 100% of rider-raised funds go directly to Dana Farber, so your money will be fully effective at supporting research and treatments.
Dear Family and Friends,
My brother Jon and I are looking forward to cycling in our 41st PMC together, but I have hard news to share: In January doctors determined that Jon has a treatable but not curable brain tumor.
Jon immediately had surgery, and the most accessible part of his tumor was removed. Surgery was followed by aggressive chemo and radiation treatment. The good news is that his team is currently happy with his response to treatment. The bad news is that this treatment has left him chronically tired, and often cognitively foggy.
JON AND ME ON A TRAINING RIDE JON AND OUR FRIEND ELLEN ON A RECENT RIDE
So Jon joins 1/3 million Americans who are living with a malignant brain tumor. Until now I never thought much about how a patient sits with this reality, or about the nature of one’s planning for the future. But from the moment Jon got off the operating room table he rallied around two ideas: to train for and ride the 2025 PMC, and to stay healthy and active for as long as possible. His doctors said yes, train and ride. And they affirmed that this would feed into his second objective. His energy level means he’ll do a shorter ride than usual, but he’s been training with me, with his daughter Rachel, and with many of his cycling friends. We’ll be on this ride together this year!
Please join us, and support the work of the PMC’s benefactor, Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Please make as generous a donation as you can, in honor of Jon, and in honor and in memory of your family members and friends who are living with or have died from cancer.
Why is the PMC so important in the fight for better cancer outcomes? We know that cancer research and treatment receive lots of federal dollars. But federal dollars generally only come in later, during the trial phase, when a promising approach is being vetted. The development of these promising approaches at earlier stages depends upon charitable donations, and PMC money has been critical in creating numerous groundbreaking therapies that are prolonging lives and reducing suffering.
I’m doing the classic 200-mile August PMC ride and adding a second PMC ride this September called the PMC Unpaved, in hopes of becoming an even more effective fundraiser. The PMC Unpaved is in its 4th year – this Berkshire-based, 50-mile gravel and dirt ride gives a participation option for people who are not available during the early August date when the main PMC is normally run. It is also a shorter ride with a lower fundraising commitment, so it allows people who want to “test the waters” easier access to the event. If you haven’t ridden before and would like some information about PMC Unpaved, please reach out to me!
My personal goal is to raise $13,500 for the PMC this year. Would you please support this effort? Remarkably, 100% of rider-raised funds go directly to Dana Farber, so your money will be fully effective at supporting research and treatments.
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
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Steven Siegel