$37 Million to Fight Cancer

Last November, I had the pleasure of attending the 2012 PMC Check Presentation Event (with my pal Christine!). Every year the food gets better (Legal Seafood!) and the checks get bigger. In 2012, the Pan-Mass Challenge raised $37 million dollars, exceeding its goal by a cool million. Woohoo!

But 37 million is just one of several impressive numbers associated with last year's gift. There's 375 million - since 1980, the Pan-Mass Challenge has raised a whopping $375 million to fight cancer. This is in numbers not adjusted for inflation - the $10,200 donation made after the inaugural ride would be worth $28,000 today. Not bad for 36 riders doing something no one had ever heard of before!

In my mind, the most impressive number is the one I'm most proud of. 100. 100 percent of all of the funds that I and all of my fellow riders raise goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund, which has been working to find cures for countless cancers while giving every patient world-class care. Every dollar you generously give is going as far as possible to end cancer. I hope you're as impressed as I am.

The 2013 PMC fundraising goal is $38 million. My personal goal is $6,700. Together, with 100 percent of your donations, we will change the face of cancer care as we know it. Please make your 100 percent tax-deductible donation today.

Ten

For the last nine years, the first weekend of August has been blocked off in my calendar. To me, the Pan-Mass Challenge isn't just a ride. It's not just a really slow way to get to Provincetown. It's not just a fun weekend with my friends. It's not just free Harpoon beer for three days (though that's a big part of it). The Pan-Mass Challenge is my life - it is a part of me.

2013 marks my tenth Pan-Mass Challenge ride. It's hard to believe that I've been doing it for so long. I think back to my first year - I was fresh out of college and thought that riding the PMC, something I had been thinking about doing for a few years, would be a good challenge. After not training very much, I hopped on my hybrid (slow) bike and struggled all the way to Provincetown. I ended the 2004 PMC swearing I'd never do it again -  it was just too hard.

January 2005 rolled around, and with it came the registration period for the 2005 PMC. I somehow forgot the challenges I faced in 2004 and signed up. I've never looked back ever since. I found ways to make the ride better for myself - I invited friends to join me on the ride, bought a new, faster bike, and became better at fundraising. There's only one thing that will keep me from riding the PMC - an end to cancer.

That's where you come in (and where you've been coming in for the last ten years). Since 2004, you've helped me raise over $40,000 for cancer research at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In the last ten years, we've seen incredible advancements in cancer treatment and care, including human genome mapping for cancer patients and new treatments going to clinical trial in order to save lives. We've come far, but we still have a ways to go.

I have committed to raising $6,700 in 2013 for the Pan-Mass Challenge. 100 percent of the funds that you donate will go directly to the Jimmy Fund, Dana-Farber's fundraising arm. A donation to the PMC is the most efficient way to fund the fight against cancer. Won't you join me? Together, we're getting closer by the MILE.

Make your donation today.