Matthew McGinty's Ride
Why I Ride ...
As many of you know, Stef and I are big Lance Armstrong Foundation supporters. The yellow Livestrong bands have been on our wrists since the summer of 2004 when they were first seen before the Tour de France. We wear those bands not to support an athlete, or a man, but rather a cause; cancer research and survivorship. I am proud to be a Livestrong Leader working on cancer advocacy in the Boston area. Last year, my wife, son and I just visited LAF. If you want to learn more, please go here: http://gint32.blogspot.com/2009/06/inspirationlivestrong.html
For me, I have lost 3 grandparents to cancer, my Dad had a melanoma, aunts and uncles have had cancer. I have seen friends and family fight, win and lose against this horrible disease. Cancer has likely touched the life of every person reading this. Whether a family member or a friend, whether it be skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer or breast cancer; we have all been touched by this devastating disease. While medicine has made great strides in our lifetimes, the battle against cancer is still far from over! Organizations like the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.laf.org) and the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org) are out there fighting the good fight so we can beat this disease.
I have been riding the PMC since 2006, raising over $20,000 so far and covering over 800 miles. Last year, I had the honor of riding for special family friends; the Branfman's. They lost their son Jared to cancer in 2005. We ride on "Team Kermit" to remember Jared. To learn more about his story, here's an excerpt from Steve Branfman:
"Our involvement with the Pan Mass goes back many years as donors and supporters. Ironically, we had never been able to participate as riders or volunteers because August was when we would take our family vacation which, for 14 years were cyclotouring trips! Ellen and I began taking short overnight trips with Jared and Adam in bike seats when they were 4 and 2 years old. After a couple of years they graduated to being able to ride on their own and the trips got longer and more serious. Our last was an 1100 mile tour of Denmark and southern Sweden in 1999.
2004 marked our first Pan Mass as riders and volunteers, after our son and brother Jared was diagnosed with spinal/cranial tumors. Later that fall I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After surgery and treatment at the Dana Farber I am fully recovered. Jared's battle with cancer began in 2003 after his junior year at Alfred University/NYS College Of Ceramics. After fighting this terrible disease for almost 2 1/2 years, Jared passed away on September 27, 2005. He was 23 years old. Jared was an artist of extraordinary ability and passion. He was an athlete and league champion in wrestling, track, and soccer. He was a scholar of art history, hispanic culture and was fluent in Spanish. Jared endured the most rigorous treatments at the Jimmy Fund and Children's hospital all the while maintaining his kindness, his positive outlook, and living his life to the fullest. The care and compassion that Jared received there and that we receive there to this day was, and remains, extraordinary.
In 2004 and 2005 Adam and I rode the Pan Mass while Ellen and Jared volunteered. 2006 was going to be the year that we all rode together. Instead, Ellen, Adam, and I rode in Jared's honor and memory along with 15 other dear friends as Team Kermit. Later that year we established the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Cancer Research at the Jimmy Fund. All the money raised by Team Kermit goes through the PMC and into this fund. It supports research into the type of disease that Jared had and is helping to make the dream of "no more cancer" a reality. It is a fitting legacy to Jared's wish to help others.
2009 marks our 6th PMC and Team Kermit is growing every year. We ride determined to see that cancer becomes a thing of the past.
The photo is from 2005 at the Wareham water stop where Ellen and Jared volunteered. Ellen took the picture of Adam, Jared, and me.
Our warmest thank you and love to all of our friends and family that support us in our daily lives and in our efforts for the Pan Mass Challenge and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ Jimmy Fund. Please make a generous donation. Join us in our fight to rid the world of this terrible disease so that your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren never have to hear the word cancer again."
I ride for Jared. I ride in memory of all the family and friends who have fought, won and lost their battle. Most importantly, I ride for my son AJ to ensure his generation never has to worry about this horrible disease. In 2010, cancer will become our #1 killer. We MUST do more!
LiveSTRONG,
-Matt
For me, I have lost 3 grandparents to cancer, my Dad had a melanoma, aunts and uncles have had cancer. I have seen friends and family fight, win and lose against this horrible disease. Cancer has likely touched the life of every person reading this. Whether a family member or a friend, whether it be skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer or breast cancer; we have all been touched by this devastating disease. While medicine has made great strides in our lifetimes, the battle against cancer is still far from over! Organizations like the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.laf.org) and the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org) are out there fighting the good fight so we can beat this disease.
I have been riding the PMC since 2006, raising over $20,000 so far and covering over 800 miles. Last year, I had the honor of riding for special family friends; the Branfman's. They lost their son Jared to cancer in 2005. We ride on "Team Kermit" to remember Jared. To learn more about his story, here's an excerpt from Steve Branfman:
"Our involvement with the Pan Mass goes back many years as donors and supporters. Ironically, we had never been able to participate as riders or volunteers because August was when we would take our family vacation which, for 14 years were cyclotouring trips! Ellen and I began taking short overnight trips with Jared and Adam in bike seats when they were 4 and 2 years old. After a couple of years they graduated to being able to ride on their own and the trips got longer and more serious. Our last was an 1100 mile tour of Denmark and southern Sweden in 1999.
2004 marked our first Pan Mass as riders and volunteers, after our son and brother Jared was diagnosed with spinal/cranial tumors. Later that fall I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After surgery and treatment at the Dana Farber I am fully recovered. Jared's battle with cancer began in 2003 after his junior year at Alfred University/NYS College Of Ceramics. After fighting this terrible disease for almost 2 1/2 years, Jared passed away on September 27, 2005. He was 23 years old. Jared was an artist of extraordinary ability and passion. He was an athlete and league champion in wrestling, track, and soccer. He was a scholar of art history, hispanic culture and was fluent in Spanish. Jared endured the most rigorous treatments at the Jimmy Fund and Children's hospital all the while maintaining his kindness, his positive outlook, and living his life to the fullest. The care and compassion that Jared received there and that we receive there to this day was, and remains, extraordinary.
In 2004 and 2005 Adam and I rode the Pan Mass while Ellen and Jared volunteered. 2006 was going to be the year that we all rode together. Instead, Ellen, Adam, and I rode in Jared's honor and memory along with 15 other dear friends as Team Kermit. Later that year we established the Jared Branfman Sunflowers For Life Fund For Pediatric Brain And Spinal Cancer Research at the Jimmy Fund. All the money raised by Team Kermit goes through the PMC and into this fund. It supports research into the type of disease that Jared had and is helping to make the dream of "no more cancer" a reality. It is a fitting legacy to Jared's wish to help others.
2009 marks our 6th PMC and Team Kermit is growing every year. We ride determined to see that cancer becomes a thing of the past.
The photo is from 2005 at the Wareham water stop where Ellen and Jared volunteered. Ellen took the picture of Adam, Jared, and me.
Our warmest thank you and love to all of our friends and family that support us in our daily lives and in our efforts for the Pan Mass Challenge and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute/ Jimmy Fund. Please make a generous donation. Join us in our fight to rid the world of this terrible disease so that your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren never have to hear the word cancer again."
I ride for Jared. I ride in memory of all the family and friends who have fought, won and lost their battle. Most importantly, I ride for my son AJ to ensure his generation never has to worry about this horrible disease. In 2010, cancer will become our #1 killer. We MUST do more!
LiveSTRONG,
-Matt
Matthew's PMC Total
$350
Goal
$4,200
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
| 2012 | $350 | Sturbridge to Family Finish at Ptown (2-Day) |
| 2011 | $4,605 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2010 | $4,200 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2009 | $4,250 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2008 | $3,055 | Sturbridge to Bourne (1-Day, Sat) |
| 2007 | $6,300 | Wellesley to Provincetown Inn (2-Day) |
| 2006 | $6,000 | Sturbridge to Bourne (1-Day, Sat) |