Hi everyone,

This year’s Pan Mass Challenge is less than 7 weeks away; it's time to saddle-up. For the first time in a long time, I'll be riding the traditional 2-day, 192-mile, PMC route from Sturbridge to Provincetown. It will be my 26th ride for cancer research and treatment, and I really do feel like we’re getting closer to a world without cancer.

Earlier this week, Dr. Laurie Glimcher, president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, sent a note to PMC participants in which she said:

As Dana-Farber’s largest single contributor, accounting for 55% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue, the funds you raise are of paramount importance in pushing the pace of progress… to improve the lives of patients around the globe.”

As the PMC approaches, it’s worth reflecting on the impact your donations have had. These are SOME of the advances enabled by your support:

• Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer – the FDA has approved a new immunotherapy combination as a first-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer

• Novel Treatment for Uterine Serous Carcinoma – a new drug has shown encouraging results in treating a particularly resistant form of uterine cancer

• First Study of Novel CLL Therapy – a new combination of drugs has led to a ground-breaking approach to the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• New Car T-cell Therapies – the first CAR T-cell therapies were approved by the FDA, a major milestone for patients with indolent follicular lymphoma and multiple myeloma

• Drugging the Undruggable – a novel agent is showing promise in treating patients with certain types of lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and endometrial cancers

This past year was a tough one for many of us with family and friends fighting cancer. I know at times it feels like we're not making headway, but we are, and we need to keep pressing.

Toward that end, I actually have TWO requests for you this year. First, I hope you’ll support me by going to pmc.org and entering my name to donate. And second, please send me a picture of the person(s) you’d like me to ride for—ideally, a picture of you and your loved one together. Every year, I carry a picture of Katie with me on the Ride. This year, I’d like to have pictures of you and your loved ones, too.

Thanks for being part of this ride with me. As Dr. Glimcher said in her letter, “New treatments. Better outcomes. More hope."

Ted