Why I PMC - Kim Fisher "What can I do?"

guest post by Kim Fisher

I watched my father die of cancer when I was 21-years-old. It was the most heart-wrenching thing I – and my family – had ever experienced. I’ve never felt more helpless or numb in my life. What do I do? What CAN I do? How do I make this go away?! Why can’t they heal him?!

I work at a university and many years ago one of my favorite students started to ride – he’s amazing. He just registered for his fourteenth PMC and although I’ve supported his ride each year I found myself thinking – what can “I” do. More and more friends have been affected by cancer – some we’ve lost and some have survived – and the growing numbers are terrifying. So what can “I” do?

I started volunteering for PMC in 2009 – yes, that’s what I could do, get in there and help. I’ll never forget that first time – I was at a water stop unloading trucks at 4:30 a.m. and the excitement and comradery was nothing short of astounding. Everyone had a story – everyone had been affected in one way or another by cancer – everyone was there to help. When those first riders came through I was nearly in tears I was so excited and honored to be part of the PMC.

Fast forward to 2017: I’ve worked water stops, on the ship, cooking chicken, and my favorite – site beautification (a.k.a. you’re on trash duty, lady). I’ll never stop volunteering – it’s too important; every effort helps to ensure the event is a success and it’s heart-warming to know that the riders appreciate the volunteers as much as the volunteers appreciate the riders. This is a team effort from soup to nuts; together we work toward a common goal – together we succeed.

I wear my loved ones (in memory of and in honor of) on my clothes at every PMC – they are with me, starting with dad at the top. One day I pray the number of pins on my shirt will stop growing – one day I hope we can look back and remember when cancer WAS a problem but no longer is.