Hi, my name is Philip Martello.  My reason for supporting the PMC is personal.  In 2008, my son Geoff was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Within one week, Geoff was at Children’s Hospital in Boston undergoing six hours of surgery.  Thankfully for Geoff and our family, the surgery was able to remove all the cancer.  Geoff has been cancer free since the surgery and will be a Junior at Xaverian Brothers High School.  This summer Geoff is volunteering at Children’s Hospital in the office of the doctor who performed his surgery in 2008.

Since the cancer diagnosis, Geoff has become a patient of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund Clinic.  He attends annual survivor clinics at the Jimmy Fund Clinic in the Dana Farber Center.  Our family has seen firsthand the wonderful things that Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund have accomplished and would like to give something back to these groups.

For that reason, I will be riding in the 2011 Pan Mass Challenge. I have become a member of Team Xaverian.  Since its inception in 2007, Team Xaverian has raised over $130,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  The team mission revolves around the community and charitable ideals taught at Xaverian Brothers High School.   Team Xaverian consists of Xaverian Brothers High School alumni, friends, and current students.  The funds raised by the Team are directed to support the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Outcomes practice within Dana Farber.  This practice was formed by Dr. Christopher Turner who is a 1985 graduate of XBHS and is currently led by Dr. Peter Manley.  A major thrust of Dr. Manley’s group is the integration and socialization of child and young adult brain cancer survivors. 

The Pan-Mass Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon and a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry that today raises more money for charity that any other single event in the country.  The organization was founded in 1980 and has since raised $303 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.  The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency.  The PMC donates 100 percent of every ride-raised dollar directly to the cause.  In 2010, the PMC generated 60 percent of the Jimmy Funds annual revenue and it was Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor.  Over 230,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign. In 2011, PMC cyclists will ride with the goal of raising $34 million for Dana-Farber.

Please contribute to my ride and help the PMC reach its goal.  Thank you.

Philip's PMC Total

$0

Goal

$1,500

My Progress

My Rides