At the beginning of August I will again be riding in the PMC Challenge. For those who are not familiar with this event - the Pan Mass Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon (190 Miles over 2 days) that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This team was formed in honor of Kevin Fitzgerald; although I didn’t know Kevin Fitzgerald personally I have learned more and more about him through my friendship with his family and friends and have grown to respect him a tremendous amount. Every year I am amazed with the thousands of people who came from all around to ride, volunteer, and support such an amazing cause. As it came time to register for this years ride it was an easy decision to make as my past rides have been such great experiences.
I moved to Boston 15 years ago and have come to call it my home, although the city in itself may be partially responsible for me sticking around it really comes down to the people I have met and the relationships I have formed that have kept me here. My time in Boston has given me the opportunity to make some life long friends that are responsible for introducing me to the Fitzgerald family, and thus are responsible for me riding this year as a member of Team Kevin Fitz. My good friends Kevin Boya and Emily Rusk are the ones that introduced me to Maddy Fitzgerald, Emily’s best friend and Kevin Fitzgerald’s daughter. I came to learn about the PMC by going to the annual fundraising events with Kevin Boya, which over time allowed me to meet the rest of the Fitzgerald family and really gain an understanding of why this awesome group of people do what they do and ride every year.
With cancer being one of the leading causes of death worldwide its unfortunate to say that its hard to find someone who hasn’t been effected by cancer in some way shape or form. It’s a sobering thought to really think about how many lives this horrible disease has taken and continues to take.
Both my parents have weathererd their battles with cancer and I feel extremely fortunate for that.
Cancer has taken the lives of family members, acquaintances , friends, and even recently a few of my friends parents. Seeing the pain and heartbreak that some of my friends and family have had to deal with is devastating. My intial push to ride was due to the passing of Emily Rusk’s father; Leo Rusk, who passed some years back, although I never got the chance to meet Leo, I felt like I knew a good amount about him from the stories that Kevin Boya or Emily would tell me. So come the first week of August I will again ride alongside such an awesome group to support the many people close to me that have been effected by cancer. I ask that you help me support this cause in an effort to make a difference, and consider donating any amount to such a great cause and know that 100% of proceeds go towards finding a cure.
At the beginning of August I will again be riding in the PMC Challenge. For those who are not familiar with this event - the Pan Mass Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon (190 Miles over 2 days) that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This team was formed in honor of Kevin Fitzgerald; although I didn’t know Kevin Fitzgerald personally I have learned more and more about him through my friendship with his family and friends and have grown to respect him a tremendous amount. Every year I am amazed with the thousands of people who came from all around to ride, volunteer, and support such an amazing cause. As it came time to register for this years ride it was an easy decision to make as my past rides have been such great experiences.
I moved to Boston 15 years ago and have come to call it my home, although the city in itself may be partially responsible for me sticking around it really comes down to the people I have met and the relationships I have formed that have kept me here. My time in Boston has given me the opportunity to make some life long friends that are responsible for introducing me to the Fitzgerald family, and thus are responsible for me riding this year as a member of Team Kevin Fitz. My good friends Kevin Boya and Emily Rusk are the ones that introduced me to Maddy Fitzgerald, Emily’s best friend and Kevin Fitzgerald’s daughter. I came to learn about the PMC by going to the annual fundraising events with Kevin Boya, which over time allowed me to meet the rest of the Fitzgerald family and really gain an understanding of why this awesome group of people do what they do and ride every year.
With cancer being one of the leading causes of death worldwide its unfortunate to say that its hard to find someone who hasn’t been effected by cancer in some way shape or form. It’s a sobering thought to really think about how many lives this horrible disease has taken and continues to take.
Both my parents have weathererd their battles with cancer and I feel extremely fortunate for that.
Cancer has taken the lives of family members, acquaintances , friends, and even recently a few of my friends parents. Seeing the pain and heartbreak that some of my friends and family have had to deal with is devastating. My intial push to ride was due to the passing of Emily Rusk’s father; Leo Rusk, who passed some years back, although I never got the chance to meet Leo, I felt like I knew a good amount about him from the stories that Kevin Boya or Emily would tell me. So come the first week of August I will again ride alongside such an awesome group to support the many people close to me that have been effected by cancer. I ask that you help me support this cause in an effort to make a difference, and consider donating any amount to such a great cause and know that 100% of proceeds go towards finding a cure.
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
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Victor Proops
