Pan Mass Challenge
I got some of the most important advice in my adult life on my wedding day. As I danced the traditional mother-son dance, my mom said to me, "Put her first. Put her above everything." I am at my best when I stick to this advice.
That's why I'm riding in the Pan Mass Challenge this August. My wife Jean has been battling a rare form of Appendiceal Cancer for the last six years. Many of you know of her troubles and her courage in facing it. Now we want to tell the rest of the world her story and help other people like her.
The PMC is the nation's original fundraising bike-a-thon and today raises more than $145 million, more than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. It is also the most cost efficient: 99 cents of each dollar raised goes directly to the Jimmy Fund for lifesaving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. On August 5 and 6, 2006, nearly 4,000 cyclists will travel eight different routes, logging between 70 and 192 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns.
My friends Mark Stephan and Tom Esch are riding with me as Appendiceal Wheels. We have three goals:
1. We are raising funds for cancer research at Dana Farber.
2. We are supporting and honoring the people we love who have cancer.
3. We are raising awareness about Appendiceal Cancer, and other rare cancers, for patients, doctors, and the public. Appendiceal cancer afflicts only a couple hundred people every year. There are only a handful of doctors around the world who research and treat this disease. There is no chemotherapy, no treatment, and no cure for it.
We want other people facing this disease, or any rare cancer or condition, to know they can find information, help, and support. Nobody should ever feel that they are alone when battling a life-threatening illness.