#WhyIPMC guest blog by Patricia Klein, 2-year PMC rider, Team CB Riders
Thank you for your support in taking time to read my Pan-Mass Challenge "Why I PMC", & for every dollar you helped to raise last year.
Many of us know that feeling of The Exhale. That feeling of a release, a sense of calm, our shoulders drop… and relax.
The Pan-Mass Challenge contributes significantly to providing these Exhales. The Exhales of hearing the good news of being Cancer Free, or of a continued partial or complete Remission. It may be from learning of treatment options & clinical trials providing continued Hope to Forge Ahead.
As a daughter losing my Mother to Brain Cancer and my Dad to Colon Cancer, as a Nurse caring for Patients at a time when Cancer Treatments were limited & had devastating side effects , and now as a patient myself, I am committed to The Pan-Mass Challenge and it’s Monumental Mission & Contributions to Cancer Research & Treatment.
I am under the care of a Neurosurgeon & two Oncologists, after surgeries for a non-cancerous Brain Tumor, & recently for a Malignant Melanoma. I sense the heaviness a diagnosis & ongoing monitoring can bring. I am Thankful for available treatment modalities & remain Hopeful for a continued good outcome.
The PMC is not only an event on a certain date/dates. The PMC is ongoing with a Commitment to fundraising for Cancer Research & resulting, treatments bringing Long-Term Quality Survival of Life with Comfort, Dignity, Improved Cancer Remission Rates, & Cures.
With humble thanks to Jeff O'Donnell, I am riding with Team CB (Celebrate Being) Riders, in memory of Jeff who with resilience began this team while living with Gastrointestinal Stromal Cancer (GIST). Jeff was integral in Cancer Research, readily volunteering for clinical trials to find life - extending treatments for himself and for others. Celebrate Being was Jeff & his wife Debbie’s mantra & continues to be their family mantra always.
And in Honor of dear friends, Kathy & Doug, who continue to undergo Cancer Treatment Protocols, & long term Dear to me Cancer Survivors Dr. Karen, Lisa, Bill, Mary, Rich & Sara.
Your donation brings Hope to Forge Ahead & to experience more Exhales.100% goes directly to The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to find a Cure. Thank you for your Support & Prayers. May God Bless you. The Love & Encouragement from Family & Friends can be overwhelming in the most wonderful way.
