Dear Family and Friends,
2024 marks my 24th Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC): 23 as a rider and 1 as a volunteer. And even better, it's the 20th anniversary since the founding of Team Kermit! We started the team in 2005 with only 8 riders and raised $56,000. Since then we've had as many as 72 riders each year and raised over $7,000,000 for the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Tumor Research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Jimmy Fund.
How did we do that? YOU DID!
Addie (l) and Tillie (r) in my profile photo are our Pedal Partners this year. Your donations pay for their pediatric brain tumor treatments. When I met Addie and Tillie at this year's Pedal Partners Party at Fenway Park I was overwhelmed by their high energy, sweetness, creativity, and incredible joy.
Who is paying for their treatments? YOU ARE!
Dr. Mimi Bandopadhayay's Bando Lab at the Dana Farber and her research partner Dr. Rameen Beroukhm administer Jared's Fund. Last week they updated us on their research. In Dr. Mimi['s own words:
As you enter the final few weeks of training for the PMC, we wanted to send you a massive thank you for all that you have done, and continue to do, to help us find better treatments for children with brain tumors. The last year has been a big one for all of us. We have had some major advances - thanks in large part to research that you have helped fund.
These advances include the recent FDA approval for three drugs for children with BRAF-driven low-grade gliomas, the most common type of pediatric brain tumor!
It has been tremendously exciting to see children get access to new treatment options because of research that you helped support. Thank you!
However, we still have a lot of work to do.
We cannot stop until we have a CURATIVE and non-toxic treatment for EVERY single child that we meet in our clinic. And we are not there yet,
But we see a lot of hope in the research that you are helping us do in our labs.
With your support, we have been able to make new discoveries that we believe can be used to find more treatments for children with brain tumors.
We will keep working on these - and our other research endeavors - until we do find the answers for all children.
Thank you for being on this mission with us.
Who made this lifesaving and ground-breaking research happen? YOU DID!
In 10 days I'll ride in the PMC. I'm committed to raising $2,000 this year to support the life-saving patient care and research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund. All donations are 100% tax-deductible and 100% of every dollar raised goes to the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Tumor Research. You and every dollar raised make a difference.
I would gratefully and lovingly accept your gift of any amount. Click the Donate to My Ride button on this page and follow the steps. Or send a check to me payable to Dana Farber Cancer Institute/The Jimmy Fund and mail it to Valentina Rosa, 68 Paul Gore Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.
With love, warm hugs, gratitude, and abundant thanks,
Valentina xoxo
