The first weekend in August I will again hop on my bike and ride nearly 200 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown for the Pan-Mass Challenge for the 11th time! The PMC itself has been running for over 40 years and there are a lot of riders who have done a large chunk of those years, so in relative terms, I still feel like a newer rider. This is actually the last year that the PMC is going to start from Sturbridge MA where it has started for a very long time, so I expect a lot of sentimental old timers to be somewhat nostalgic (or cranky) during the weekend. However, I’m hopeful that next year’s start from Worcester is going to keep the mileage the same and maybe get rid of a few hills!

Every year the PMC puts on an event where riders can get together and hear from various speakers from Dana Farber, the PMC, and people who have benefited from the money raised through the PMC. This is inevitably an inspirational night where you hear all the good that has come out of cancer fundraising organizations. One speaker this year was Dana Smith who is a patient at Dana Farber. (no relation to me and I don’t think to Dana Farber either). One thing she said was the following:

“11 years ago I would have been given 2 years to live. Luckily I was diagnosed 7 years ago!”

This just made me think about how the 11 years I have been a rider (and the years of fundraising with LLS) and the support you have all provided has made a difference. There are constantly new and less invasive treatments developed as a direct result of your support. I cannot thank you enough and Dana made sure to tell us to tell our supporters Thank you!

Cancer affects all of us in one way or another. I ride in honor of family members and friends who are in remission, who are currently undergoing treatment, and those who have not made it. I also ride for all of you who have your own stories of how you have been impacted by this horrible disease.

Thanks!

Tim