#WhyIPMC guest blog by David Unger, 3-year Living Proof, Team Domestiques rider
In June of 2018 I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma and was told I had 18-24 months to live if I did not get aggressive treatment. I had six months of chemotherapy at New England Cancer Specialists (an affiliate partner of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) followed by a stem cell transplant at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in January 2019. In November of 2020, my wife was also diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma and was treated at New England Cancer Specialists.
Four and a half years later we are both in full remission.
After my transplant in 2019, one of our sons put together a team to ride in the PMC, the Domestiques. In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of his or her team and leader, rather than trying to win the race...Where the domestique finishes a race is less important than the help he or she gives.
I have ridden the PMC Reimagined ride for the past two years as I didn’t have the physical strength to do an actual PMC ride. This year will be my first ride in person, riding from Wellesley to Patriot Place. As if being part of the actual PMC ride won’t be emotional enough for me, two of my long-time former riding partners are on our team and will be doing the ride with me.
“Why I ride” is very simple. Every cancer patient should have the opportunity to live their lives, hug their families and play with their children and grandchildren for as long as they can. These results cannot be achieved without the research and compassionate care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their affiliates. Through the research done at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, cure and remission is the reality for more and more cancer patients. 
