Team JenStrong:  Stronger than ever and hoping for your support!

The next Pan Mass Challenge is right around the corner.  Team JenStrong is stronger than ever with 18 riders ready to brave whatever the course (and New England weather) throw at us on August 8^th.

No fundraising effort for the team would be complete without an update on some core members of our team--my children, Michael, Connor and Meghan.    They have each accomplished so much this year.  Every moment of achievement gave me yet another reason to continue our PMC efforts.  Jen should have been standing next to us as we cheered and celebrated all our family highlights this year including: 

v   A Super Bowl ring for Michael--it doesn’t get any sweeter than the jubilation we celebrated with family friends, teammates and the great MarshVegas fans at Gillette Stadium.  He followed up with a strong season as captain of the baseball team.  Michael heads off to Endicott College in the fall on the heels of a memorable year. 

v  Connor had another great year on the academic and athletic front.  Connor’s adventures included an eventful year that included playing goalie for the varsity hockey team in some terrific playoff battles. Connor heads to Noble & Greenough next year to continue pursuing his academic and athletic goals. 

v  Not one to be outdone by her brothers, Meghan had a banner year in school.   In between being her brothers’ biggest cheerleader at the activities noted, Meg excelled in her first year of middle school and finished her year with a spot on the Honor Roll. 

So many incredible moments - - far too many to highlight here and far too many for Jen to have missed.  Help us keep the work to cure this disease moving forward.  We (YOU) are really making a difference.   Last year Team JenStrong raised $75,000 and praise from one of the lead doctors from Jen’s team who follows our progress and contacted me to express his gratitude for the team’s efforts.  When you donate to this cause, you honor Jen and all those who long to be healthy and bear witness to all the moments in life that make it so very precious.      It is my honor to ride for Jen, all who fight this disease and all who fight to cure it - - like you.  Thank you for supporting Team JenStrong.   Your support for the cause and for my family never ceases to amaze me and makes me more grateful than you will ever know.

JENSTRONG

Donations can be made on-line at:   http://www.pmc.org/egifts/MM0279 or by check payable to PMC mailed to:  

Mike Maher, 46 Oakman Waye, Marshfield, MA 02050

Are you up for yet another Challenge?  Support Team JenStrong 2009!

We are all struggling with the incredible turmoil all around us right now.  It’s hard to ask friends and family to make a donation to the PMC when many are working hard to manage through some of the toughest economic times we’ve ever seen.  

As hard as it is to ask again for your generous support, I am asking.  I am asking because it matters.    Finding a cure matters as much today as it ever did.  And while every day seems to bring outrageous changes, one thing remains as constant and as valuable as ever -- health.  In good health, all things are possible, no matter how much adversity we might face.  In good health, we have the greatest gift of all -- time.  Time to witness and savor some of the milestones I would have savored with Jen this year.

Connor’s graduation from Derby Academy marked by honors, accolades and the embrace of a circle of friends that he will always cherish.  Jen would have been so joyful as we followed the class to church to the sounds of a bagpipe and excited graduates. 

Meghan’s graduation from elementary school wearing a special dress lovingly picked out with help from Nana.  Jen would have been so proud of our precious girl. 

This is our year to show we can overcome all obstacles and persevere---to be JenStrong.  . Please join me in keeping Jen’s memory alive by supporting our JenStrong team which has grown from 9 to 14 riders.   As a team we challenge ourselves physically to ride 170+ miles not only to honor Jen but to honor and support all those who have been touched by cancer.    And, we ride so that others may have the greatest of gifts…health…time.

Last year our team rode with pride, wearing the Jenstrong jersey, knowing that our ride meant so much to so many.    The streets were lined with supporters and we heard shouts of “Go Team JenStrong!”    My heart raced and tears filled my eyes when I thought about how much Jen continues to touch lives two years after her death.   

I can not possibly describe what an amazing feeling it was and how truly grateful I am to people like you who help us continue this journey to a cure. 

JENSTRONG

P.S.         Last year Team JenStrong raised over $60,000 that went directly to research underway

            at The Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Donations can be made on-line at WWW.PMC.org click on EGift, my EGift # MM0279, or by check payable to PMC mailed to : Mike Maher, 46 Oakman Waye, Marshfield, MA 02050

Training for and running the marathon is a unique experience.  For me, the time alone on the roads was a rare time of solitude and time to think.  With 3 overscheduled kids, solitude and time to really think about all that has happened over the past year is rare.  Time alone on the road, chasing Jen's dream, was a chance to try to make sense of the constant barrage of thoughts, memories and realizations that race through my mind day in and day out. 

Every step I took (some slower than others) was for her.  During every training run I thought about her in different ways.     When my training was hard and the run seemed endless, I thought of the many unbearable treatments she went through to beat the disease.  She never quit and she never wavered in the fight.  Whatever it took to spend more time here on earth with her kids was what she would do.   I spent hours on the road thinking about Jen, our life together and what this race would have meant to her.    I realized that in many ways, the whole process of training and running this incredible race had so many parallels to different parts of our lives.  I thought about the ways the race was like the last few years of Jen's life and, I thought about ways the race is like the challenges I face in my life now.

The Boston Marathon for runners like me, is about making it to that next milestone - that next marker that says another tough stretch is behind you, that maybe reaching the next milestone will feel easier-- - you are one step closer to what you dream of.   In those last 3 years of her life, Jen's dream was to do whatever it took to continue raising our children .... to see them reach milestones like birthdays, First Communion, school and sports achievements.  Their milestones were her greatest joy and no amount of pain was too much to bear if it meant reaching another milestone with her family.    Now, without her, the milestones feel so very difficult to reach and celebrate.  I reach those milestones now without Jen at my side, hoping that another tough stretch may be behind me and that the next one will be easier. 

Just like life, the Marathon sneaks up and surprises you - tough stretches nobody told you about suddenly appear.   And just like life, sometimes you feel like you can't keep chasing the dream, and the people around you carry you forward.   Jen and I got through some of the toughest of stretches in the same way.  We were carried through those times by the incredible network of friends and family and sometimes even strangers who surrounded us, showered us with kindness and kept us moving forward.  On race day, friends appeared and ran alongside me, strangers cheered me on and the love of the people closest to me carried me forward down Boylston Street.

Just like life, the race makes you realize you are capable of so very much more than you realize--that you can shock yourself and those around you when it comes to chasing your dreams.   Nobody demonstrated this more powerfully than Jen.  Her disease was incredibly rare and incredibly aggressive.  She shocked doctors and those around her with her strength and sheer force of will.   For me, it is through sheer force of will that I work to create a new life for our family in the face of a void that has left us so heartbroken.  And I watch as my children demonstrate that same strong will and strength that their mother had as they chase their dreams without her. 

Just like life, the Marathon brings with it rare moments of connection?moments that help you understand that the efforts I make - and you make, mean something important.  On Marathon Monday, I found myself riding alongside a doctor who runs the Head and Neck Oncology clinic at Dana Farber. We met with him while Jen was being treated and he followed her progress during her treatment.    We began to talk about the PMC and the funds that all the riders who ride for JENSTRONG raise for the Head and Neck Oncology Clinic. He talked about the impact of our fundraising and gave me several examples of how he was able to add staff and fund research as a direct result of our efforts.      The research being done at Dana Farber's Clinic extended Jen's life and brought her closer to her dream than she ever could have imagined without the cutting edge treatment she got.   

Just like life, the Marathon makes you realize that you've got to keep pushing and chasing your dreams.  Jen left behind a network of loving friends and family who share more than our love for her. We share a desire to honor her memory by chasing our dreams just the way Jen would - with unrelenting passion, grace and courage.    So we truly do continue to battle this disease together....for Jen's dream-for progress, for a breakthrough, for a cure.    I struggled with this letter.  I kept thinking "How can I ask this amazing network of people to give yet again, after having given so much to this cause?"   But when I think about Jen's dream that a cure be found (and it will).... I think "How can I not?" - for Jen. 

I send you my heartfelt gratitude for whatever contribution you can make to this year's fundraising for Head & Neck Cancer research in Jen's name. 

Donations can be made on-line at WWW.PMC.orgclick on EGift, my EGift # MM0279, or by check payable to PMC mailed to : Mike Maher, 46 Oakman Waye, Marshfield, MA 02050

JENSTRONG

June 2007

I would first like to take this opportunity to thank you for your kind thoughts, prayers, love and support during this very difficult time in my family's life. Many of you reading this letter have already given so much to our family. You have my heartfelt gratitude for your continued generosity and for the overwhelming outpouring of kindness you have shown us in so many different ways.

It's hard to put into words how much the Pan Mass Challenge means to me this year. I first got involved in the Pan Mass Challenge through Jen. Even before her own diagnosis, Jen was passionate about what the PMC represents: raising money to eradicate cancer and doing so by testing your athletic limits (which Jen loved to do so much), alongside many great friends who are just as passionate about the PMC.

Jen's PMC experiences ranged from riding the race in peak physical form with typical Jen athletic intensity, to meeting me at the finish line after chemotherapy and radiation treatment that took incredible determination to simply endure. One special year, Jen rode after her treatments ended and savored the journey more than ever, thinking that her cancer had been conquered. The following year, battling intensive cancer treatments again with the same courage and grace, she still managed to meet me at the finish line of the race that meant so very much to her. I will never forget seeing her drive by in my friend's car, hanging out the window, cheering for me and every rider who was peddling for a cure.

Jen taught me so much about life, love and about cherishing every moment of our journey together. Jen's journey was far too short but her legacy is amazingly powerful. Jen never gave up - and neither can we. To ride for Jen, and for all other cancer patients and their families who bravely fight this disease, remains my honor.

For the first time since Jen and I became involved with the Pan Mass Challenge, she will not be at the finish line. But just as she was for every important journey I have taken, and ever will take, Jen will be with me-- in my spirit, in my heart and in my soul.

I am so grateful for your contribution to continuing our fight.

JENSTRONG

 





















July, 2006

JENSTRONG. This expression remains a touchstone for all of us who love and cherish Jen as she continues to live strong and fight cancer with all the toughness she has shown on the bike, in road races and in everything she has ever tackled.

Just one year ago, Jen rode in the PMC Challenge along with me. This year, Jen is channeling all her physical energy into healing her body with the support of our amazing network of friends, family and the team at Dana Farber. But her heart and soul will be with me as I ride in the PMC Challenge from Wellesley to Provincetown on August 5th and 6th.

As we explore treatment options for Jen, we are struck by the enormous need for more funding to research and cure this extremely rare and difficult to treat cancer. For that reason, we have committed all of the donations we raise to Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Head and Neck Oncology Program. Together we will raise funds that will go directly to doctors and researchers working to cure the rare form of cancer that Jen is determined to conquer, nasopharyngeal cancer.

As we focus on Jen's return to health, the generosity of our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and even complete strangers has been beyond our comprehension. We could not begin to articulate how much this support has meant to us or how grateful we are for it.

But the road is long and we are starting a difficult climb as Jen evaluates her next treatment options. Without the research dollars you will help us raise, Jen and patients like her would not have such choices. Your generous donation will help Jen and others have access to the most progressive and effective treatment available.

It's not easy to ask for more from everyone receiving this letter • you've all done so much to help keep our whole family strong. But Jen and all the people facing this daunting climb need your help to continue their journey. Help us crest this hill and enjoy what lies on the other side•the greatest of gifts•health, and the chance to continue enjoying the ride surrounded by all of you.

Live strong,


Mike and Jen


How to make a donation:

Checks: Checks can be made payable to the PMC, Jimmy Fund, DFCI, or any combination of the three. Please send your checks directly to me at:

Mike Maher
46 Oakman Way
Marshfield, MA 02050

If you would like to send your check directly to the PMC please include a note indicating the rider you are sponsoring and send the check to: PMC, 77 4th Avenue, Needham, MA 02494.

Cash: If you cannot give by check or credit card please obtain a money order and send it directly to the rider you are sponsoring or follow the instructions above for mailing it directly to the office.

Internet: Simply go to www.pmc.org and select "Make a Donation".
My eGift ID is MM0279

Mike's PMC Total

$6,751.51

Goal

$10,000

My Progress

My Online Supporters

My Rides