Why I PMC guest blog by John Tracy, 8-year Team PTC rider
#WhyIPMC
I started riding in memory of my mom. I keep riding because cancer keeps coming.
What began as a way to honor her quickly became something bigger, something I couldn’t ignore, 
something that asked more of me than remembrance alone. Cancer continued to touch the lives of friends, family members, colleagues, and people I care about. It kept showing up in phone calls, conversations, and the faces of people I love, every time someone said, “I have some news.” It was always another story, another battle, another reminder that this disease doesn’t stop because one fight ended.
Looking back, I realize cancer has always been part of my family’s story. We lost my grandfather the year before I was born. I never knew him, yet I felt his absence growing up. I missed someone I never met, someone who was deeply loved by people who loved me. Long before I understood what cancer was, I understood its reach and learned that it didn't just affect individuals; it had the power to reshape entire families.
More recently, we’ve been given a story of hope. My father-in-law was diagnosed with prostate cancer
and faced his own battle. Watching him navigate his diagnosis with a mixture of uncertainty and quiet determination brought everything closer to home again. Today, he’s cancer-free, and in 2025, he became part of the PMC family as a volunteer (you can find him again this year, serving pizza at MMA). He’s our Living Proof®.
I ride because the PMC turns grief into action, and hope into progress. It transforms loss, fear, and uncertainty into focus, support, and love. I ride because it helps fund the lifesaving research and care at Dana-Farber that directly impacts patients and families every single day. Every mile is for someone still fighting, someone learning to live with uncertainty, and someone who deserves more time. Every mile is a promise to each of them.
As long as cancer keeps showing up in our lives, I’ll keep showing up on my bike. I’ll ride for my mom, and for her father. I’ll ride in celebration of our survivors. And I’ll ride for everyone who is still in this fight.
Together, through the PMC, we’re moving closer to a future where cancer no longer has a place in so many of our stories, and where fewer families have to hear the words, “I have some news.”