THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION! HERE IS MY STORY:

Why I Ride
1. I ride because Dana Farber saved my mom's life with a bone marrow transfusion (here she is - living proof!).
2. I ride because my father died from cancer.
3. I ride because the two year old son of a family friend died of cancer.
4. I ride because a former co-worker died of cancer.
5. I ride because one of my wife's former bosses died of cancer less than one year after he retired.
6. I ride for our team pedal partner, only a child battling cancer right now.
7. I ride because other people I know are battling cancer.
8. I ride because you have friends and maybe even family, that have suffered from this terrible disease.
9. I ride so that others may live, like my mom, not die.
10. I ride for you.

When I Started Riding
I started riding the PMC in 1996. I started racing my bike in 1978. Now I ride to race against cancer.

Who I Ride With
I ride with Team Eradicate. We were recognized as a team last year when we raised over $225,000. Our team captain is Matthew Menner.

My Family
I am married to Michele Sommer. She is a PMC alum.  She runs My Oilcloth fashion handbags with her business partner Yvette. 
We have three sons: Sam - 14, Edmund - 13, and Andrew - 10

 

My father died from metastatic lung cancer on February 22, 1993.  I returned from a hiking trip to the Grand Canyon over Columbus Day weekend to a message on my answering machine from my dad saying he was treated and released at the hospital, but that "everything was OK."  Four months later, I kissed him goodbye.  He was 59, leaving behind my stepmom Nancy, my step-sister Kara, and his new baby boy Adam (2).  Later, when Adam could talk he said "My dad got sick, he got cancer, he died."  Now Adam is attending URI - go Adam!

 

My mother came down with lymphoma the next year, and, after two rounds of unsuccessful treatment at Sloan Kettering she was treated at Dana Farber where she underwent a novel treatment called bone marrow transfusion.  Dana Farber saved her life.  She is still ticking today and living in Charlotte, NC with my sister and her family.

 

Thank you Dana Farber. 

My Work
I am an industry analyst covering smart grid (modernizing utilities to support renewable energy integration) for Greentech Media (www.greentechmedia.com)