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Why I PMC - Jennifer Kovalich

Published Date:   July 16, 2025

Topic:   Pan-Mass Challenge, Why I PMC, #WHYIPMC, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PMC 2025, #PMC2025

#WhyIPMC guest blog byBy Jennifer Kovalich, 14-year rider

I ride the Pan-Mass Challenge to give hope to all who are experiencing cancer.
This year will be my 14th ride. I was first introduced to PMC as a news reporter in the late 1990s. Covering riders from the Walpole-Westwood area, I was in awe of their accomplishment. Ride a bike 85 miles? 164 miles in two days? Impossible, I thought. Then cancer came calling for my father, Sylvester Kovalich.
My father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer two weeks before my wedding in 2007. In the shadowJKovalich PMC blog 2 of cancer, we danced our tails off at a seaside wedding reception, and created a kaleidoscope of happy memories he could reflect on during treatments. He passed away in December 2008, having given his all.
In 2009, I equipped myself with a new bike, except it wasn’t just a bike- it was an instrument in the war against cancer. I was off and riding and haven’t looked back.
Through thousands of miles and by raising thousands of dollars to help find a cure for cancer, I strive to lift up all who face a cancer journey. This year I am honored to ride for my friend, Bill Hill, a Brockton firefighter assigned to Squad A, and president of the Brockton Firefighters Local 144. Bill has germ cell cancer, his second bout with cancer after his first battle with testicular cancer in 2012. He is a fighter and a fierce cancer prevention advocate for his fellow firefighter brethren.
JKovalich PMC blogThe statistics are alarming. According to the International Fire Fighters Association, occupational cancer is now claiming the lives of more firefighters than other causes, including fires and other incidents that occur on-scene. Firefighters are routinely exposed to carcinogens such as benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in firefighting gear, according to the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. These exposures occur during fire suppression activities and can persist due to contaminated equipment and gear.
Thanks to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Direct Connect for Firefighters program, Bill had immediate access to world-class cancer care following his diagnosis. The PMC has raised more than $1 billion and every dollar goes directly to DFCI to fund treatment, patient care, and lifesaving research.
I’m a DYI rider, a team of one. But I am committed to the promise of hope, especially the hope for a cure - for Bill- and for all who face cancer now, and in the future. Because I believe that if you have hope, you have everything.
Anyone wishing to support my ride may do so at: PMC Rider Donation and entering my name or my rider ID: JK0245.
While I ride the PMC with a heart full of hope, I also ride with a heart full of gratitude to all my supporters. Thank you for helping me make a difference.

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