Why I Ride...
Dear Family and Friends,
We're riding again this year for Joel, our friend battling glioblastoma. We met Joel, age 45, in 2021 on a bike ride in Falmouth. Joel is a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and has an 8-year-old son and wife, who are the center of his world. Joel has been living with a grade IV glioblastoma since October 2022. In addition to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, Joel is being treated with concurrent immunotherapies including a tailored vaccine developed by Germany-based CeGat. Despite his challenges, Joel's positivity shines through, and riding with him is a privilege. In fact, for last year’s PMC, Joel rode the full century with us (the real story is that we had to work very hard to keep up with him), which made the ride much more meaningful.
We're committed to raising funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's (DFCI) Jimmy Fund through the Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org), an annual cycling event that raises more money than any other single athletic fundraiser in the US. Last year, the PMC raised $72 million, totaling $972 million raised overall, with 100% of rider-raised funds going directly to Dana-Farber.
Known as seed money, your PMC contribution supports the most pressing needs and promising developments at DFCI. Because glioblastoma research is underfunded and because we know several people including Joel who are battling or have battled this insidious disease, we're directing our fundraising efforts to glioblastoma research at the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber. Your support will contribute to collaborative research projects led by Dr. Wen and Dr. Reardon which benefit people globally fighting high grade glioblastomas.
With over 30 years of riding in the PMC, our goal is to surpass last year's contribution of $40,000. Once again, this year we have a unique opportunity to increase the impact of your donation. The first $5000 we raise beginning April 2 will be matched 2 for 1, thus tripling your gift! If you’ve sponsored us in the past, please consider increasing your donation. If this is your first year contributing, please consider a minimum donation of $120. Sponsorship is easy using the PMC’s secure server at (https://www.pmc.org/egifts), just enter your credit card information and our eGift ID ((SS0020 or RS0022) or let us know if you prefer to mail a check and we can make arrangements. Please don't forget about matching gifts that are available to you through your compnay or other affiliations.
Every mile and every dollar counts in our fight against cancer. Join us in supporting Dana-Farber's mission to defy cancer through groundbreaking science and care. Our friends and families are depending on us.
Thank you for your generosity.
Sumner and Robin Saitz
7 Leslie St., Woods Hole, MA 02543
