Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this note finds you doing well and enjoying the summer.  Some of you may know that Robin had a rocky fall (and by fall we mean fall and autumn).  But she has recovered from her injuries and has been training for the PMC all spring.  While a bike accident of this nature is traumatic, bones and bruises heal.  However, this experience was very different than that of our pedal partner, Alyson Cipro.  Aly  is 10 years old and battling brain cancer.  If all goes well she will complete her treatments before we ride in August.   Soon she’ll no longer need a feeding tube for nourishment.  She’ll be able to play soccer with her friends instead of sitting on the bench in her uniform as she does today.  In September she might be able to go back to a normal school schedule. 

This is why we ride. So Aly and other children and adults like her, can get back to their normal life. There’s no shortage of cancer diagnosis - nearly 1.4 million people will be diagnosed this year - but fortunately there’s no shortage of riders, either.  So as we embark on our 21^st  year of participation in the PMC, we look to you for support.

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) is the largest single fundraising event for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund, contributing 60% of all funds raised. On the weekend of August 6-7, we will join more than 5,000 cyclists and 2,000 volunteers in the 32^nd  annual PMC by riding 190 miles across Massachusetts, through more than 20 cities and towns.

In 2010, PMC cyclists raised $33 million.  100% of every dollar raised by riders went directly to the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org). Since 1980, the PMC (www.pmc.org) has contributed more than $303 million, which finances research in its earliest stages.  Known as "seed money," PMC contributions support the most pressing needs and promising developments at Dana-Farber. In so many cases, this early support has fostered the development of some of the most important advances made in cancer research over the last two decades. Recent advances have made possible the use of precise, tailored therapies to attack a growing number of cancers at the molecular level, yet personalized cancer treatments remain the exception and not the rule. Dana-Farber is poised to change this.

Our goal is to exceed last year's contributions of $20,000, but we need your help.  If you’ve sponsored us in the past, please consider increasing your donation.  If this is your first year contributing, please consider a minimum donation of $75.  Sponsorship is easier than ever using the PMC’s secure server at https://www.pmc.org/egifts/RS0022 for Robin or http://www.pmc.org/egifts/SS0020 for Sumner  https://www.pmc.org/egifts and your credit card information. We can accept donations until the end of September 2011.

Each mile pedaled, each dollar raised brings us closer to a cure for cancer.  For our pedal partner, Aly, and our friends and yours, we are proud to be part of this challenge. Please help us help the Dana-Farber achieve Mission POSSIBLE. Make your contribution today. 

My Rides