Why I Ride the Pan Mass Challenge

Dear friends and family, this has certainly been an unprecedented year, and one that none of us could have anticipated. COVID-19 has upended our world and certainly our lives. And it has disrupted many charitable events, including important fundraisers, like the Pan Mass Challenge. The formal PMC ride is of course not happening, but we are all doing a reimagined, DIY PMC ride. I plan to ride in what is my 8th PMC, and will pedal 192 miles over the course of PMC weekend. I’ll split my miles into three days, Jul 31, Aug 1, and Aug 2 as various circumstances haven’t left me time to train as much as I usually do.

The Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org) helps raise much needed funds for cancer research and patient support- it’s in fact the biggest fundraiser of its kind in the world. Last year we raised $63 million dollars, 100% of which was, as always, devoted to fighting cancer. I, like many of you, have lost too many relatives and friends to this terrible disease. And this year has been especially hard, as my daughter, who was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma in the summer of 2018, found out last September that her cancer had metastasized to her lungs. She is bravely battling her cancer, including a very recent 10 hour surgery to remove a regrowth of her original tumor, but her situation underscores how easily cancer can upend one’s life. This of course only increases my determination and resolve to do what I can to fight cancer.

Last year, I joined the Sarcoma Cycling Brigade, a team of riders within the PMC who are raising funds specifically for sarcoma research. Sarcomas are rare cancers and as such do not get the same attention as other more prevalent cancers. Our goal is to raise as much money as we can, both as a team to fight sarcoma, and as PMC riders to fight all cancer.

So let's work together to fight cancer! To donate simply click on this link ,https://donate.pmc.org/KC0258  to go to my Personal PMC fundraising page. If you'd rather send a check, please mail it to me at 221 Beacon St [x-apple-data-detectors://3]. Unit 5, Somerville MA 02143 [x-apple-data-detectors://4].

Thank you so much for your support. Together we can make a difference in the battle against cancer, while remembering those who we loved and lost and those who are fighting and winning the battle.

Ken