Last year my daughter Jane rode her first PMC at age 16. Given her young age, I had signed us up for the 1-day ride. As soon as we crossed that finish line in Bourne, Jane started talking about wanting to ride the second day... this year we are doing the whole 2-day, 163-mile ride!
Why I ride
Two years ago Jane's 15-yr checkup turned out to be anything but routine. Her pediatrician discovered a mass in her abdomen. She was sent for tests and scans right away. Three weeks later she had surgery at Boston Children's to remove a large ovarian tumor. Teratomas can contain all types of tissue and are usually benign but Jane's turned out to have a form of cancer called medulloblastoma inside of it. Thankfully she did not need chemo or radiation, just a lot of follow-up MRIs to keep any eye on things. It was a very difficult summer with a long recovery but I'm happy to share that Jane is healthy and cancer-free!
After years of training and riding, I had thought perhaps my PMC days might be behind me. But Jane's journey brought me right back to the reasons we ride and fundraise. Cancer is indiscriminate and touches all of our lives. I have lost several family members and friends to various forms of the disease and I'm sure you have loved ones who've been affected too. This year I'll be riding my 7th PMC!
How far is this thing?
On August 3rd-4th, Jane and I will bike 163 miles from Wellesley, MA to Provincetown, MA. I am so proud of Jane for wanting to come back and do the two-day ride. It will be such a joy to be riding next to my strong, brave, healthy girl this summer!
Every time we visit DFCI I am moved by the PMC imagery and tributes lining the hallways of the Jimmy Fund Clinic. The PMC is Dana-Farber’s single largest supporter and more than 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. I never imagined that one of my children would benefit from PMC fundraising. Since 2013, I've raised over $30,000 for this life-saving work. This year I hope to add $6K to that total, and the PMC all-time total is expected to top ONE BILLION DOLLARS this year! I hope you will consider joining Jane and me in this effort!
Please donate!
100% of all rider-raised funds go directly to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber. That means your donation does NOT pay for participation costs (riders pay those directly), or organizational overhead, or fancy marketing, or big salaries. ALL of it goes to fight cancer.
Please join me in supporting the life-saving treatments and research that make a difference in the lives of thousands of patients, including sweet Jane. Every donation --big or small-- helps!
Shay
You can read Jane's story in her own words here.
