John Murdock's Ride
Why I Ride ...
Welcome to my PMC fundraising page for "Team Luca".
This is my first year riding in the PMC fundraiser. I'm humbled to be part of Team Luca and ride in Luca's honor and memory.
My hope is you'll take a moment to read the story of Luca De Lisi, his father (Jeff), mother (Megan), and their courageous fight against a rare form of a pediatric brain cancer named Medulloblastoma And if so inclined, I hope you'll see it in your heart to support our cause. Details on how to donate can be found at the bottom of this letter!!
I first met Jeff and Megan many years ago in college through a mutual friend…Jay Caruso. I think that was around 1994, but I'm getting old and those years are foggy. But I do remember that my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife Maria) and I built an immediate friendship with Jeff and Megan. We've kept in touch over the years (mostly thanks to Caruso) and they are wonderful, salt of the earth, warm people that I feel lucky to know.
In 2002, I first met their son Luca De Lisi when he was a few months old. My wife and I were on vacation in Cape Cod and Jeff, Megan, and Luca were in Brewster MA right down the road from where we were staying. We met Jeff, Megan, Luca, and few other friends at a restaurant in East Orleans MA and had a great dinner with lots of laughs. We followed that up with a trip to Nauset Beach where we hung on the beach well after sunset. Luca hung out with the adults like a champ. The only thing that made us leave that beach, was a nosy skunk who came a little too close for comfort. We had lots of laughs and it is a fond memory of a happy family.
Luca was a normal, happy child in every way until mid-December 2004, when, two months shy of his third birthday, Luca began to show symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting (especially in the morning), head pain, and an unsteady walk. The symptoms were especially unusual because Luca still had an appetite and did not present with a fever. His pediatrician decided to rule out other more serious causes, and ordered a CAT scan. On January 4, 2005, Luca's CAT scan revealed a large tumor at the base of his brain that was preventing his spinal fluid from draining into his spine. The trapped spinal fluid was causing his brain to swell which was manifesting in the aforementioned symptoms. Luca was rushed to Boston Children's hospital where an MRI confirmed the presence of the tumor.
Please read more of Luca's story here
By Spring 2005, Luca was very ill and I was asked to participate in a golf event to raise money for Luca's treatment in Brewster MA in June 2005. If you've read Luca's story, you'll know that he fought the very disease hard but unfortunately passed away on June 29, 2005. During his last days Luca went paralyzed due to the spinal tumors.
Luca's fundraiser never took place, but I still made that trip to Brewster in 2005 with my wife and baby daughter (born earlier that year). I've been back to Brewster every year with my family. I've since welcomed my second daughter into the world.
I feel very blessed and thank God every day for the health and happiness of my children. And I feel blessed to have met Luca.
That's why I ride. Help me raise money so no child has to endure the pain Luca did and no parent has to lose a child like Jeff and Megan.
You can donate in three ways.
1 - Make an eGift to "Team Luca". My eGiftID is: JM0554
2 - See if your company has a corporate match program. For a list of companies that officially match the PMC click here
(For example: To my fellow Juniper employees reading this, we do have a match program which can be found on our intranet)
3 - See if your company wants to be a Corporate Sponsor for Team Luca. Click here for the Team Luca 2009 Corporate Sponsorship Prospectus
Unlike generic Jimmy Fund donations, 100% of contributions to Team Luca benefit the innovative pediatric brain tumor research conducted by Dr. Mark Kieran's Pediatric Medical Oncology team at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. See 'Who we ride for' for details.
This is my first year riding in the PMC fundraiser. I'm humbled to be part of Team Luca and ride in Luca's honor and memory.
My hope is you'll take a moment to read the story of Luca De Lisi, his father (Jeff), mother (Megan), and their courageous fight against a rare form of a pediatric brain cancer named Medulloblastoma And if so inclined, I hope you'll see it in your heart to support our cause. Details on how to donate can be found at the bottom of this letter!!
I first met Jeff and Megan many years ago in college through a mutual friend…Jay Caruso. I think that was around 1994, but I'm getting old and those years are foggy. But I do remember that my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife Maria) and I built an immediate friendship with Jeff and Megan. We've kept in touch over the years (mostly thanks to Caruso) and they are wonderful, salt of the earth, warm people that I feel lucky to know.
In 2002, I first met their son Luca De Lisi when he was a few months old. My wife and I were on vacation in Cape Cod and Jeff, Megan, and Luca were in Brewster MA right down the road from where we were staying. We met Jeff, Megan, Luca, and few other friends at a restaurant in East Orleans MA and had a great dinner with lots of laughs. We followed that up with a trip to Nauset Beach where we hung on the beach well after sunset. Luca hung out with the adults like a champ. The only thing that made us leave that beach, was a nosy skunk who came a little too close for comfort. We had lots of laughs and it is a fond memory of a happy family.
Luca was a normal, happy child in every way until mid-December 2004, when, two months shy of his third birthday, Luca began to show symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting (especially in the morning), head pain, and an unsteady walk. The symptoms were especially unusual because Luca still had an appetite and did not present with a fever. His pediatrician decided to rule out other more serious causes, and ordered a CAT scan. On January 4, 2005, Luca's CAT scan revealed a large tumor at the base of his brain that was preventing his spinal fluid from draining into his spine. The trapped spinal fluid was causing his brain to swell which was manifesting in the aforementioned symptoms. Luca was rushed to Boston Children's hospital where an MRI confirmed the presence of the tumor.
Please read more of Luca's story here
By Spring 2005, Luca was very ill and I was asked to participate in a golf event to raise money for Luca's treatment in Brewster MA in June 2005. If you've read Luca's story, you'll know that he fought the very disease hard but unfortunately passed away on June 29, 2005. During his last days Luca went paralyzed due to the spinal tumors.
Luca's fundraiser never took place, but I still made that trip to Brewster in 2005 with my wife and baby daughter (born earlier that year). I've been back to Brewster every year with my family. I've since welcomed my second daughter into the world.
I feel very blessed and thank God every day for the health and happiness of my children. And I feel blessed to have met Luca.
That's why I ride. Help me raise money so no child has to endure the pain Luca did and no parent has to lose a child like Jeff and Megan.
You can donate in three ways.
1 - Make an eGift to "Team Luca". My eGiftID is: JM0554
2 - See if your company has a corporate match program. For a list of companies that officially match the PMC click here
(For example: To my fellow Juniper employees reading this, we do have a match program which can be found on our intranet)
3 - See if your company wants to be a Corporate Sponsor for Team Luca. Click here for the Team Luca 2009 Corporate Sponsorship Prospectus
Unlike generic Jimmy Fund donations, 100% of contributions to Team Luca benefit the innovative pediatric brain tumor research conducted by Dr. Mark Kieran's Pediatric Medical Oncology team at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. See 'Who we ride for' for details.
John's PMC Total
$0
Goal
$5,000
My Progress
My Online Supporters
| I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list. |
My Rides
| 2009 | $4,200 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |