Guest blog by Sonya Marquez
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.
This year will be my first time riding the PMC. I signed up back in January with my husband’s firm – Berkshire Partners. I decided I would join their team and ride 163 miles from Wellesley to Provincetown. Having just moved to Boston last summer after 2 years in Illinois and 5 years in California before that, I wasn’t very familiar with the Pan-Mass Challenge. But, finding out that the PMC gives 100% of every rider earned dollar to cancer research was enough reason for me to sign up. I was excited about the physical challenge and team bonding, but honestly was a bit nervous about the fundraising aspect.
Fast-forward three months: On the night of April 10th, our life changed in an instant. Our almost 9 year old son Daniel had been complaining about a cramp in his side and it was starting to cause discomfort and pain. We noticed a visible lump so my husband took him to the ER at Children’s Hospital, while I stayed home with our younger two children. When they eventually got in to see someone, my husband texted that multiple doctors were checking Daniel’s stomach and that they had ordered an ultrasound, blood tests and X-rays. Once I knew this, my motherly instinct told me that something wasn’t right and I needed to be there.
As usual with ER visits, it took some time to get through all the tests ordered and my husband and I sat there in silence most of the time, trying to figure out what they were seeing. I vividly recall when the ER doctor spoke to us at the end of the night (actually after 1AM). Daniel had a tumor on his kidney. A coordinator would contact us the next morning to return for more tests (CT scan) and to meet a team of doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. My mind was racing and quickly trying to process it all. Tumor? I immediately recognized the name “Dana-Farber.” Wasn’t this who I was fundraising for in the PMC ride?
I looked at my husband whose eyes were welling with tears and so were mine. I looked over at our son lying on the bed next to us. It took every ounce of my being to remain calm and not break down. I remember just holding my husband and telling him that it was going to be ok. We are going to get more information and “he’s going to be ok” – I just kept saying this. I was not going to allow myself to think the worst. I was not going to break down because I decided that I needed to be the rock.
The team we met at Dana-Farber the next day was the most warm and caring group of doctors I have met. I will never forget sitting in the room with the two doctors, nurse and social worker as they very gently explained the situation and next steps to the three of us. We ended up being admitted to Boston Children’s that night and within hours I was sitting across from a world- renowned Chief Surgeon, who would be performing Daniel’s nephrectomy the next day. We knew that his entire left kidney would be removed and that the tumor growing inside of it was larger than his kidney. By the time the doctor introduced himself to Daniel, he was in pain and trying to sleep. All he wanted to know was where was the surgeon going to cut him. The surgeon marked a diagonal line that spanned the left side of his abdomen.
Finding out that my son most likely had Wilm’s Tumor Stage II cancer and would be treated with chemotherapy after he recovered from surgery was heartbreaking. Never did I imagine that one of my 3 healthy children would fight cancer in their lifetime and that is why I’m so dedicated to my fundraising efforts. Because we never know when cancer will strike again. It could happen to any of us, our child, our co-worker our family member or friend. So my original personal goal of raising $15,000 has now increased to $20,000 and now I just want to blow that out of the water and raise as much as I possibly can.
Training for the PMC has been such a blessing and positive distraction for me these past four months. It has been the time that I’ve dedicated to take care of myself so that I can be stronger for Daniel and the rest of our family. It has provided me with an outlet for my emotions. I refused to let Daniel see me sad during those early days, because I needed him to see strength in my eyes when he looked at me. I needed him to have confidence that he would recover from surgery and could fight this disease and win. Well, I’ve cried plenty during my rides and since those early weeks, but I’ve never lost hope. There is something about being on my bike that gives brings me peace and a sense of calm through all this chaos. I’ve realized that riding has been good for my mind and my soul – not just my body. Riding has given me the strength and focus to keep forging ahead with a positive attitude during the harder days.
I have realized the importance of faith, courage and mental strength to help my family through this time. As a parent, we always want the best for our children and I can honestly say that I have not been worried about Daniel’s medical care because he is receiving the best care possible at the #1 pediatric hospital in the country. He is even having some pretty amazing, positive experiences along the way too, thanks to the Jimmy Fund and generous donations from friends!
We feel so fortunate that Daniel is being treated at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Jimmy Fund every week. We feel blessed to have hundreds of friends across the country along with the amazing doctors, nurses, volunteers and social workers helping us on this journey.
Daniel has now reached week 14 of his 19-week treatment plan. We are in the home stretch. Daniel has learned that his strength comes from within, even when his physical body is weak from chemo. He has found his outlet – playing sports. He loves baseball so he has been privileged to experience some amazing things here at Fenway Park, including Jimmy Fund’s Fantasy Day and being an honorary batboy. Of course, he always enjoys cheering on his favorite team whether in person or on TV.
So, you see it’s no coincidence that I signed up for the PMC or that we moved here to Boston, home of Daniel’s beloved Red Sox and home to Boston Children’s Hospital and DFCI. Or even that his journey at Jimmy Fund began on April 11th – opening day for the Red Sox - because playing baseball is such an important part of who he is and has been his outlet during his journey.
On August 6th-7th, I will proudly ride with 43 other members of Team Berkshire and approximately 6,300 other riders. I go into this ride with all of my heart, soul and strength. I ride with the hope that we will see a cure for cancer in my lifetime. I ride for my son Daniel, Team Berkshire's pedal partner Gregory and everyone who is fighting their battle against cancer. I ride for the survivors, and for those who have lost the fight, but remain forever in our hearts. I ride because I can.
My heartfelt gratitude for your support of the PMC!
