Dear Friends,

This year, on Aug. 1, 2 and 3, I will be riding for the first time in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride to raise research money for Dana Faber Cancer Institute (DFCI). I have been supporting my younger brother Matt’s participation in this ride since we lost our sister Pat to breast cancer on Thanksgiving Day in 2009. This year I am joining him as he is participating in his 15th year.

While the official PMC totals 192 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA, I will be adding an extra day on Friday riding from the NY border to Sturbridge to make it a true Pan Mass ride. Over the three days I will ride close to three hundred miles. This will be a big challenge that I have been training for since last August.

Over the years many of us have lost family members and friends to this terrible disease. This past year I decided to focus on a healthier me and set a goal to finally join my brother in honoring our sister and the others who have lost their battle to cancer. Over the past two years I have also watched a childhood friend of my wife be treated by Dana Faber and this is how she describes it. “Dana Farber is a world class cancer institute. I am so thankful for the highly skilled, professional, kind, and loving care I received there. I am a stage 3c2 cervical cancer survivor one year out from treatment. I am cancer free.”

I will be joining my brother and riding with Team LungStrong. This team was started by his friend Diane who has just lost her lengthy battle with lung cancer after 18 plus years with the support of DFCI. Although there have been significant advances in treatments, there is still a long way to go, and this ride goes a long way in helping support the research.

One hundred percent of the funds raised by the PMC go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. One hundred percent of the funds that Team LungStrong raises through the ride will go directly to lung cancer research at Dana Farber's Lowe Center of Thoracic Oncology. DFCI is a leader in innovative lung cancer research and is working diligently to find a cure.

This year I have personally committed to raising $6,000 for the PMC/DFCI.

I know there are many worthy organizations in need of money; I am asking for your help to raise funds for DFCI to continue their lung cancer research for all lung cancer patients and help me ride in memory of my sister.