In some way we all have been affected by loved ones who have been stricken with cancer. It really hit home when my mother was diagnosed and treated at Dana Farber. My mother was diagnosed with skin cancer and went to Dana Farber for multiple treatments. It is an awkward situation going into Dana Farber, as someone not currently fighting cancer it is an eye opening experience. The interaction with the patients, nurses, family members and doctors,it is one of the most upbeat, positive, and supportive environments that I have seen. 

If you could bottle the optimism you would be a millionaire. That is what Dana Farber is trying to do bottle the enthusiasm and optimism so that cancer can be a thought of the past.

I guess you really do not think that much about it until it does strike close to home. You can walk down the street everyday pass the same people and never think I wonder who has overcome a battle with cancer. It comes in so many different forms. 

We all have family members and friends who have overcome and succumbed to different  forms of cancer I am just trying to help in any way that I can.  I am hoping that my involvement and fundraising can bring us closer to a solution.

I will be riding 192 miles across the state of Massachusetts in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC)! 2010 will mark my 3rd ride. When I first signed up to train and raise funds for The Jimmy Fund/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I had no idea that my participation in the PMC would prove to be such a life-changing experience.  The physical and emotional exhaustion a post-PMC rider feels pales in comparison to the experience of those battling cancer, which is why I have decided to participate in this rewarding experience again this year! First, I would like to thank all of you who helped me to far surpass my fundraising goal last year! And secondly, I would like to ask for your help again this year.