Why I PMC - Bill Allan

#WhyIPMC guest blog by Bill Allan, 34-year rider

Life can change in a moment. When you grow up in New England you are immersed in the Red Sox & the Jimmy Fund. When I saw a bunch of bikes ride by while on vacation on the Cape, I asked what that was all about & got my answer to what I needed to do.  That was 1991 & the next year I did my first ride from Sturbridge to P’Town. At the time cancer had not touched my family so I rode to support cancer research & treatment mostly for the kids that are unfairly stricken. That was to change when in 2013 my sister was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer & likewise my mom in 2016. Both succumbed to the disease. Now cancer became personal & would become even more so. I kept “riding for a cure” & last year at the ripe old age of 79 was my 33rd ride. Part of the motivation to continue riding is the tremendous support riders get along the route. Many carry signs providing encouragement, but one sign held by a little boy named Jack that for me has embodied the mission of the PMC & the difference we are making. This was taken at the year 2000 ride & Jack is now a grown man who still comes out to cheer us on. Jack’s story can be multiplied the thousands to start to understand the enormity of the good that funds raised by PMC are doing.
Last summer my wife’s cough got worse & by August slurred speech prompted a trip to the emergency room at Cape Cod Hospital. Thinking it was a stroke she was rushed through a CT scan. While waiting for the results a doctor entered her room with the fateful words “I am sorry to report that you have stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to your brain.” Devastating to say the least especially since she has never been a smoker. I now can feel for the “gut punch” reaction of so many others that have the same experience.  Since we had good impressions of both the radiology & oncology doctors we decided to stay at CCH, which is a member of Dana-Farber Clinical Pathways program, for Annie’s treatment. She was somewhat fortunate that she had “the right” mutation for which a breakthrough targeted therapy had been discovered through genetic research. She takes one pill/day with minor side effects, the kind of personalized cancer treatment so much in demand. So, this August at the age of 79 I will ride again 163 miles from Wellesley to P’Town, & keep riding & fundraising as long as possible in support my wife’s battle with cancer and all others battling the disease.