BIG TROUBLE: TESTICULAR CANCER

In 1988, I was a young Dad with two great little girls, Caitlin and Allison. Like many at that age, I was happy and proud of the family I was raising with my wife Sandy. But one night while playing with Caitlin, she accidentally kicked me in the chest. I laughed off the bolt of pain, but oddly for days afterward it never went away. I decided a trip to the doctor was in order, and after several tests came the shocking diagnosis. A blood test for HCG, a female hormone, had come back positive. The doctor called the HCG levels a marker or indicator of testicular cancer. I was in big trouble... . .

GET THIS THING OUT OF ME

I'll never forget that ride home, alone, in the car. I screamed. I yelled. I pounded the dashboard. And then I had this really weird feeling come over me. Do you remember the movie Alien where a guy has an alien growing inside of him, it hatches and bursts out of his chest? Well, all of a sudden, I felt like I had an alien in me! And I wanted it out, right away. I had to wait two weeks for surgery and for an assessment of how much the cancer had spread. I didn't sleep much during those two weeks. But I finally went under the knife, and the cancer had not spread. Eight weeks of radiation treatments were next. I was able to work during the treatments, but got sick as a dog on a few occasions, just violently ill. I survived, but I was very lucky. Years ago testicular cancer was the leading cause of cancer among young men aged 15 to 35, and was almost always fatal.

LANCE ARMSTRONG AND A KICK IN THE TEETH

Over the years I've developed a passion for road bicycling and followed Lance Armstrong closely during his career. But it's not just a passion for cycling that we share; Lance and I both survived testicular cancer. So when I saw Lance on TV one day talking about his work to battle cancer, he said something that hit me square in the teeth. When asked how he could afford the time demands that his foundation put on him, he replied There's this thing called 'The Responsibility of the Cured'. If you've had cancer, and survived, you owe it to those who didn't make it to carry their torch, fight the battle against cancer, and inspire others to do the same.

Gulp.

Lance made me feel awful. Here I was a cancer survivor, and I had never lifted a finger to help fight cancer. That was my defining moment. I decided on the spot to ride in Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), the largest charity cycling event in the U.S. which supports the Jimmy Fund and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The word supports is an understatement; in 2021 the PMC raised $64,000,000 dollars in the middle of a global pandemic, and 100% of all rider donations were delivered to the Jimmy Fund and DFCI. The Boston Red Sox started the Jimmy Fund, but we PMC riders like to say that cycling now owns it. And this year, after 25 consecutive years riding, I will not be riding and will be a volunteer during the event joining over 6,000 other riders traveling from Sturbridge to Bourne, and then on to Provincetown; 2 days, 192 miles.

AND NOW I NEED YOUR HELP

The PMC is a special event, and our efforts have been recognized by the Boston Red Sox, who have become the official sponsor of the Pan Mass Challenge. As mentioined, after 25 years I've decided to to hang up the Lycra, and rather than riding I have volunteered to be a photographer for the PMC. But the pressure on funding cancer research is, sadly, higher than ever. So I'm not just snapping photos and calling it a day. Raising money to kick cancer's ass is something I'm still committed to. Fundraising is not for the faint of heart, and it's why the unofficial motto of the PMC is Commit. You'll Figure It Out. I've made the commitment, because I know the following:

I am cured.

I have a responsibility.

And I need your help.

I'd like you to become one of my sponsors and donate whatever you feel you can afford. The amount does not matter; all I ask is that you reach down and give from your heart. Just click on the eGift button you see to the right and you'll be led to my electronic online donation page. If you prefer to send a check, make the check out to PMC - Jimmy Fund and mail it to:

Wayne Sula

4 Woodview Drive

Lakeville, MA 02347

Here is one last thing to consider. Donating your hard earned money to a charity is sometimes hard to justify. But know this for certain: cancer never takes a vacation, and if not already then at some point it will touch your life. On August 2-3 this year there will be over 6,000 PMC riders who will not be on vacation (and a similar number of volunteers!). I hope that your heart and spirit will be with us.

Wayne