#WhyIPMC guest blog by David Fernandez, 31-year rider Team Hannah's Bandanas
“Your test results look great; you will never need to see me again.”
I am a PMC “lifer” because I want people fighting cancer to be able to hear these words that they almost never hear or hear only after years of uncertainty and often with an asterisk. I rode my first PMC in 1994. It was an easy choice, a close friend’s mom was being treated at Dana-Farber at the time, my childhood friend Mike had died of Leukemia at age 19, and three of my four grandparents died of cancer. Sign me up! Since 1994, I unfortunately have many more reasons to ride- my mom, college friends, extended family, co-workers, and people dear to me.
Last summer, my 30th Pan-Mass Challenge was going to be epic. The traditional 192 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA with an extra 100 miles on Friday with my amazing team, Hannah’s Bandanas from the NY border. My 30th PMC, covering 300 miles with amazing friends, and my brother and sister-in-law – it was going to be memorable. After a training ride two days before the ride, I felt severe weakness in my left arm and could barely lift a coffee cup. Later that day, after an ambulance ride to the ER, I was informed that I had a stroke.
I missed riding PMC weekend last year, but it seemed trivial knowing how bad it could have been. After extensive testing and world class medical care at Brigham and Women’s, I had an outpatient procedure to fix a congenital heart issue which had led to the stroke. I rode 25 miles 4 days later. In early January, my cardiologist spoke the words: “Your test results look great; you will never need to see me again.”
I could not stop thinking about how incredibly easy my health journey has been compared to what people diagnosed with cancer face: uncertainty, months/years of treatment, and the roller coaster of not knowing what the future holds. Thanks to years of research and investment in cardiac care and the work of expert medical professionals and I was able to ride 217 miles in my own “virtual PMC” last fall.
My dream is that one day every person with a cancer diagnosis hears the same words I did within 6 months of my diagnosis. The Pan-Mass Challenge provides my 6,000+ cycling sisters and brothers and I, the opportunity to build a future when doctors treating cancer no longer need to speak in terms of probabilities, possibilities, 5-year cure percentages, and the dreaded asterisk.
You can support my ride, The Pan-Mass Challenge, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute using the link in the header or using this link PMC.Org Donation Page. You can also search PMC.Org -Donate using my name or my Rider ID: DF0028. With your help, the PMC will break the $1 Billion dollar mark for fundraising since the ride started in 1980.
Thank you for your incredible support and cannot for the start line in Sturbridge, MA August 3rd!
Love,
Dave