a note from PMC founder / executive director Billy Starr
Three years ago, facing the worst weather in PMC history, we persevered and triumphed with a record number of riders and a (then) record $41 million donation. Now storm clouds of a different nature are gathering and our resolve will be tested yet again. The proposed 20 percent budget cut to the Boston medical community will have a dramatic negative impact at Dana–Farber Cancer Institute according to Dr. Glimcher (see below).
The PMC's impact becomes more significant than ever and I urge each of us to take that responsibility to heart. As always, we have an opportunity to make a difference in the trajectory of cancer research and treatment. Pushing it ever forward will require immense personal philanthropy from all who prioritize cancer research and treatment. I am asking each of us to increase our individual fundraising goals because PMCers don't shrink in the face of a challenge. We will continue to stand – and ride – as a beacon of hope and support for DFCI and the cancer community.
Statement from Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, President and CEO, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute:
"We are deeply concerned about the Administration’s budget proposal, which includes a $5.8 billion cut in support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). We are hopeful Congress will demonstrate bipartisan support for more robust NIH funding – similar the recent support for the 21st Century Cures Act – and that a final budget will reinstate these essential funds for biomedical research.
This proposed cut would be a disaster for researchers, and for people with cancer and other diseases. Our mission is to develop new treatments, and to provide the best possible medical care to every person in this country who needs it. We are now on the cusp of major advances in immunotherapy and precision medicine, and if we pull back, it will cost many lives that could have been saved by faster progress.
Money invested in biomedical research is money well spent. It has a tremendous, positive impact on our economy, creating jobs directly in the lab, and in the many companies that develop medical breakthroughs into new therapies for patients. Every dollar invested in NIH research has been shown to return up to seven times that in economic activity.
The very negative consequences of this budget proposal on medical research and patient care would be deep and long–lasting."
Thank you for all you do in moving us closer by the mile.
