Why I PMC guest blog by Marcia Dana, 21-year PMC Team Dassault Systemes rider
Why I Ride PMC
My first PMC was in 2006. The reason I chose to ride and raise money for PMC is that a friend’s 6 year
old daughter, Erika, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When I inquired how I could help, my friend asked for prayers. Prayer is a wonderful thing, but I wanted to do something more concrete. I had recently returned to cycling and decided to ride for Erika Gould. Erika used to tell people she spelled her name with a “K” because it’s strong and straight, and she’s too bold for a curlyque “C.”
I trained all that summer with a photo of Erika on my handlebars. She helped me climb the hills and kept me pedaling through the long miles. It turns out that I rode in Erika’s memory that first year. I met up with her family en route and cried through the next 5 miles. Between the PMC’s mission to fight cancer and the comaraderie among the riders and volunteers, I was hooked.
In 2009, my husband, Greg, was diagnosed with a rare non-Hodgkins lymphoma. We sought treatment at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Eric Jacobsen was not only an expert in his field, he was also caring and compassionate. At each visit, he listened to what Greg had to say, and, asked about what he might not have mentioned. In 2011, Greg rode about 20 miles of the PMC. He had watched me pedal in to Provincetown for 5 years, and wanted to experience it for himself. While he ran out of time in his cancer battle in 2012, I am grateful for the care we received that gave us three more years of quality time.
Since 2006, I’ve completed the two-day ride for 14 years. After that, I made a concession to my advancing years and started riding just the one day froute rom Wellesley to Bourne.
I’ve ridden with groups and solo. I’ve ridden with my son, my husband, dear friends and with strangers. Each year it is the same, and yet different. Training for The PMC is the structure of my summer; riding it is my joy. Knowing that I’m making a difference, and fighting back against a disease that made me feel helpless is, in a word, satisfying. Patients keep getting diagnosed with cancer and yet, so many more survive because of the money we raise for cancer research and care.
My mission is clear. I have so many reasons to ride. I ride for my niece who is 38 years post-remission. I ride for my partner who is a two-time survivor. I ride for the loved ones of all of my sponsors. I will keep riding and fundraising for PMC and DFCI as long as I am able.
