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Dear Family and Friends,

Welcome to my PMC page! I'm not going to beat around the bush - the letter you're about to read is going to ask you for money. I realize that I could lead up to it gently, but this money is needed for cancer care and research and there is nothing gentle about cancer.

As many of you know, I lost my Grandma Murray to pancreatic cancer in 2008, and my dad has been battling colon cancer since 2009. For me, cancer has a very real face, and I am guessing that this is the case for many of you as well.

As I have struggled with the impact of cancer over the past 3 years, I have been amazed to learn how many people have been affected by this ubiquitous disease. In fact, I have repeatedly found myself referencing my roommate situation as a prime example of this hard reality: As a child, my roommate, Lauren, was diagnosed with cancer before she even understood the meaning of the word, and only a few years ago my other roommate and PMC riding buddy, Lesley, stood by her mom's side as she fought - and ultimately defeated - lymphoma.

Though my roommates and I have often discussed our individual experiences with the disease, I didn't see them in a big-picture context until one evening when Lesley observed, "It's affected us all." The sentence was simple, but its impact on me was profound. In our own ways, we had all battled cancer. While these fights had left us with our own unique scars - some visible, some not - it became clear that we all have the potential to turn our cancer experiences into something positive.

Unable to shake this realization, I decided to be proactive and look for ways to help. The thing is, I don't know how to manipulate stem cells or secure millions of federal dollars for research - at least, not yet. So I decided to help by doing something that I *do* know how to do - ride my bike.

This August will be my 4th year biking 192 miles in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) to raise awareness and money for cancer care and research. The PMC is the single largest contributor to the Jimmy Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Their goal is to supply doctors and researchers with the resources they need to cure cancer, once and for all.

In order to participate, I have to raise $3,200- no minor sum to be sure. Nonetheless, I am confident that I can meet this goal again - with your help, of course. I am committed to doing the training and the hard work. All I need from you is a donation. If you can dedicate twenty-five or fifty dollars to help find a cure, you'll be in good company, but please consider giving what you can; donations of *any* amount would be greatly appreciated, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

To contribute please click on the "donations" tab below, and whether you're showing your support with a dollar contribution, words of encouragement when the terrain gets tough, or some awesome combination of the two, you can monitor my and Lesley's training and fundraising progress on our PMC training blog:

http://www.danielleandlesleypmc.blogspot.com/

Thank you for all of your support.

Sincerely,
Danielle

P.S. This summer, I will once again be riding in memory of my grandma and support of my dad. You can turn your cancer experience into a positive one by making your donation a tribute to someone *you* know who has been touched by this disease.

Total Raised

$355

Goal

$4,300

Progress