Five years ago this May, I was sitting on my motorcycle at Gettysburg National Park.  I called home to check in with my folks and I got the news we had all been dreading; My father had been diagnosed with AML (a particularly nasty form of leukemia).  We lost him 3 months later in August of 2005.

For the past five years I have been competing in various triathlons to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and riding in the Pan Mass Challenge.  Through your generosity, I have raised over $75,000 for cancer research and treatment. 

This year I am asking for your support again.  Like last year, I will be pedaling along with my wife Diane who will be doing the PMC in memory of her Dad, Aunt Linda and Step Dad.  I will be doing the 2 day Sturbridge to Provincetown route (192 miles) and Di will be completing the 1 day 84 mile Wellesley to Bourne route.

 For those of you who may not know, the PMC (https://www.pmc.org/) is the country's most successful athletic fundraising event with nearly 5,000 cyclists participating.  Last year riders in the PMC raised over $34 million dollars for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.   Every rider-dollar raised goes directly to cancer research.

 We have BOTH started training for the PMC in memory of those who have lost their battle with cancer, in honor of those whose lives have been affected by this horrible disease and to help all those who work every day for a cure.

Together our goal is to raise a minimum of $15,000. In order to meet our goal, we need your financial and motivational help.

One of the remarkable components of these fundraising/endurance events is the "purpose" with which the participants train.  Our family is (sadly) not alone in the extent that cancer has touched our lives and our purpose in training and completing this event is intensely personal.  We know, sadly, that we are not alone in viewing cancer and its eventual cure personally and we'd ask that you share with us your stories and the names of those family members for whom you'd like us to ride.  As in years past, the names you share with us will be written on our bike jerseys for the ride.  We will be training and riding in memory of those folks who have lost their battle and in honor of those folks who we all hold special.

As the weather gets warmer here in Boston, we'll be taking to the roads (and spin classes) to log an increasing number of miles per week to prepare for the event.  The training will be long and hard, but the "purpose" for which we are training supplies amazing amounts of motivation.  

Our purpose is your purpose...please be as generous as you can.

Thank you all for your current and past generosity and your support as we train!

Chip