About My Heroes

This year’s Pan Mass Challenge, my 20th, was quite special. I had the honor and privilege to ride with two first year riders, son and daughter of a riding buddy who lost his battle to cancer ten years ago. Now they’re both old enough to ride the PMC.

In typical PMC form (Commit: You’ll Figure It Out), at the pre-event dinner last year, she made the commitment. "I’d like to ride the PMC." She hadn’t ridden a bike in years, she didn’t even own a bike, she didn’t really know what she was committing to. But she knew that she wanted to do it. So, still a teenager, she committed to riding the Pan Mass Challenge and to raising $4800 for cancer research.

And her commitment drew her older brother along. He committed to riding the PMC as well. No family discounts here…he also committed to raising $4800.

We pulled their father's bikes out of storage and had them refurbished. They trained through the spring and early summer and started their fundraising.

Then Saturday morning rolled around. She hadn’t ridden further than 20 miles on the road; he had some miles under his belt. Just enough to know what he didn’t know…

Saturday morning. 6:15. 85 miles. Unknown.

These two young adults taped photos of themselves with their father on their handlebars, hugged and kissed their mom, and hit the road.

I had not ridden with them before and didn’t really know what to expect.

We started off at a nice easy pace, covering the familiar roads of Needham and Dover. We had started early, so for a while we had the roads to ourselves. Survivors and supporters were just starting to set up their chairs and signs along the route.

Then, the first fast cyclists from Wellesley caught up with us. We lost a chain, stopped to fix it, and continued on.

These two young adults, my heroes for the weekend, just kept pedaling along. They took it all in…the supporters shouting encouragement, the cowbells, the pedal partner posters, the excitement.

The hills, the rain, the wind.

I rode every mile of the first day with them, intent on getting them across the finish line in Bourne safe and sound. And we crossed the finish line together early Saturday afternoon.

The second day was a near mirror of the first…except that we started with sore legs. They had a better understanding of what they needed to do…except that every mile was new to them. No worries...they hugged and kissed their mom and rolled out of the driveway, photos taped to their handlebars, intent on making the finish line.

Day Two of the Pan Mass Challenge always holds a surprise or two. No, the Cape is not flat. Yes, there’s traffic. Sometimes more experienced riders crowd newbies a bit. Occasionally it’s incredibly windy on Route 6.

Route 6, heading into Provincetown

My two heroes just kept turning the pedals, occasionally glancing at the pictures taped to their handlebars for inspiration. We rode through a number of towns on Route 6A, past a summer camp that turns out in force to cheer (Da Hedge!), along the bike path and into the hills of Wellfleet and Truro. No, the Cape is not flat! And sometimes it is very windy.

Did I mention the headwind?

When we crossed the finish line together in Provincetown just before noon on Sunday, it was a magical moment. Their mom was waiting for them, arms outstretched, so proud of what my two heroes accomplished. So much of their father in them. Continuing his legacy. So much inspiration for others.

We would appreciate your support of the PMC, of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the important work being conducted.

Will you make a donation today?

With love,

Lee

To make a donation, please visit http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033 . 100% of your donation goes directly to the Dana Farber. All donations are 100% tax deductible.

Why I Ride

In three weeks I'll embark on my 20th Pan Mass Challenge, riding 192 miles and raising money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Twenty years ago, just a few miles into my first Pan Mass Challenge, in the hills of western Massachusetts at 6 am, I passed an older couple sitting on their lawn in folding chairs. They were holding up signs that read "Thank You for Riding."

It took me a minute to figure out why they were thanking me…then it hit me. It was personal. The money raised by the PMC had a direct impact on their lives. Perhaps one of them, or someone they knew, had been treated at the Dana.

 

Right then, for me the event shifted from a bike ride to a cause.

Since then I’ve ridden almost 3,700 PMC miles, raising more than $120,000 for cancer research. 

Over the years I figure I’ve ridden past 20,000 signs saying "Thank You for Riding." And Amy, Jonathan and Rachel have all joined as volunteers along the way, with Jonathan also riding for a couple of years.

Last month I helped to organize and run the first PMC Sandwich Kids Ride, with more than 60 youngsters riding and raising $20,000. These kids learned the meaning of charity, giving and selflessness. And they had some fun!

In three weeks I’ll ride the PMC…because when I do, I make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer. And I appreciate knowing that you’re supporting the PMC too!

Thank you for your support!

With love,

Lee

To donate, please visit http://www2.pmc.org/profile/LL0033 . All donations are 100% tax deductible.

$35M Raised for Cancer Research

Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Gives $35 million to Jimmy Fund
One-third of a billion dollars given over 32 years

BOSTON –– The 2011 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) raised $35 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and its Jimmy Fund. The 2011 fundraising total is $2 million, or 5.7 percent, more than the PMC gave in 2010 and brings its 32-year Jimmy Fund contribution to $338 million.
 
Tonight, PMC Founder and Executive Director, Billy Starr, will present a ceremonial check to Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD at a Fenway Park celebration that will be attended by more than 500 PMC cyclists and volunteers.

The PMC is the most successful athletic fundraising event in the nation; it raises and contributes more money to charity than any other. The 2011 PMC exceeded its own fundraising goal of $34 million by $1 million. “PMC riders are committed to the cause and to this event,” said Billy Starr, PMC founder and executive director. “Their dedication to raising money for cancer research is unparalleled in the fundraising industry.”
The contribution represents 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar, a charity pass-through rate that is nearly unparalleled within the athletic fundraising event industry. Approximately 3,100 volunteers and 200 companies supplying almost $5 million in products and services provided riders with food, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage transport and support of all kinds.

Last August, 5,169 cyclists from eight countries and 37 states rode one of 11 routes that ranged from 25 to 190 miles. Riders included seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown, 350 cancer survivors, and avid cyclists and weekend warriors alike. Many rode in support of loved ones being treated for cancer or in memory of those who have been lost to the disease.

“PMC money is seed money that enables our scientists to conduct the earliest forms of research,” Benz said. “The money they raise is critical to our work. It enables us to invest in major new patient care and research initiatives that could otherwise go unfunded.”

Founded in 1980 when 36 cyclists rode across Massachusetts and raised $10,200 for the Jimmy Fund, the PMC is known today as the “gold standard” of athletic fundraising events due to the unprecedented sums it raises and its consistently efficient charity pass-through rate. One of the very first athletic fundraising events in the nation, the PMC was a pioneer in the way it focused on raising money for charity.

The 33rd annual PMC is set for Aug. 4 and 5, 2012. Registration opens online on Jan. 10 for PMC alumni and Jan. 17 for newcomers. For more information about the PMC, which is presented by the Boston Red Sox Foundation and New Balance, visit www.pmc.org.

The Law of Attraction

Driving instructors tell their students to look where they want to go. For a clean line through a curve, look way ahead to the latter part of the turn. And they caution to avoid looking where they don’t want to go. Don’t look at the headlights of the oncoming traffic. Instead, keep your eyes focused on the road ahead of you...where you do want to go.

The universe has a similar law of attraction. What you focus on, you get. Good or bad, the universe doesn’t care. Focus on good things and you get good things. Focus on bad things…

Most people know me as a positive person. And it’s true, I’ve worked hard to clear out the negativity in my life and to focus on the positive. I truly believe that one creates whatever he or she wants by being clear about those wants and by using language to create the possibility.

Does it also take hard work? Sure. Are some things physically impossible? Maybe. However, the reality is that we are capable of accomplishing far more than our current belief systems allow. My friend Pam Fernandez didn’t let her blindness stand between her and a gold medal and World Record Time, in cycling, at the 2000 Sydney Para-Olympic Games!

So what does this have to do with the Pan Mass Challenge and cancer research?

Over the past fourteen years I’ve spent a lot of time and energy focusing on fundraising for cancer research. And I’m well aware of the law of attraction.

But I haven’t been focusing on cancer. I’ve been focusing on creating a world free of cancer, a world of health and vitality. I get great pleasure in riding the 194 miles of the Pan Mass Challenge, not because it’s a wonderful bike ride, but because I have the opportunity to be strong for those who may be struggling. I consider myself a cheerleader for the cause, enrolling others not just in the fight to end cancer, but to create a world of health and vitality.

Sometimes maintaining a positive context can be a challenge. One of my PMC teammates told me last week that she’s now undergoing weekly treatments at the Dana Farber. She’s been coping with her cancer, with her typical positive attitude, for a long time. She didn’t need a cheerleader; she just needed a hug.

I was there to give her that hug. And it was the kick in the pants I needed to get into action around this year’s PMC. I’ve started my fundraising earlier and I intend to raise more money this year.

And I need your help. Together we win.

Together we can create a world of health and vitality. And to do that, we need to continue to fund the research that will help to eradicate cancer.

To donate please visit the PMC website. Fully 100% of every dollar raised goes to cancer research. If you have already donated, thank you!

Resources: For an introduction to the law of attraction, I’d suggest the excellent book Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting, by Lynn Grabhorn. You can purchase it here on Amazon .

Business executives who want to foster health and vitality in their businesses (and enjoy a boost to their bottom line) should contact the Boston-based wellness firm, AdvancingWellness. The founder of the business is a long-standing supporter of the PMC.

Together we win!

Thank you,

Lee

29 Days and Counting

29 days to the 2010 PMC. $1,598 raised so far, as part of my contribution to the $31M expected to be raised this year for the Jimmy Fund. 192 miles between Sturbridge and Provincetown. 4,500 riders. 2,500 volunteers. 100% of all money raised delivered to the Jimmy Fund.

But the PMC is not about the numbers. It's about an 8 year old girl battling leukemia. She's a pedal partner of one of the teams, and she'll be waiting at the lunch stop to meet the team. They'll be hot and sweaty, and when they sit down to talk with her, they will forget their aches and pains and just have a good cry. Or maybe they'll be strong for her and not let her see the tears in their eyes.

It's just not fair.

Stephen was beating cancer. Holly was so positive in all posts on CaringBridge. Then it came back. He's fighting again.

Another friend doesn't know how long her husband will be around to raise their children. Maybe a year. Maybe 10. She lives with this unknown and deals with it every day.

One of my workmates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer four years ago. She is now the focal point of our riding team and she puts in the miles with the rest of us. She simply refuses to give in to cancer.

This is why I ride...why I am so passionate about the PMC and raising money for the Jimmy Fund. I do it because I can make a difference...by raising money for cancer research, by recruiting new people to the cause, by showing strength and determination at mile 80.

I can't do it alone. Together we will win.

To donate please visit the PMC website.

Time to ride!

Lee

Time to Ride!

The 30th annual Pan Mass Challenge starts Saturday morning at 7 am.

And not a moment too soon.

Connecticut senator Chris Dodd announced this week that he has prostate cancer. I just found out that a good friend and neighbor is battling lymphoma. The head of my PMC riding team starts radiation therapy in a couple of weeks for a brain tumor. A loved one is waiting for the results of a biopsy.

While I can't make their cancers go away, I can ride my bike 190 miles to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and cancer research.

In the first five miles of my ride on Saturday, I will stop to hug the widow of a riding buddy lost to cancer. I don't know how I will be able to get back on my bike and leave her. I also know that it is the only thing for me to do.

With your help, we will raise $30 million this year and donate 100% to the Jimmy Fund.

My bike is ready. My saddle bag is packed. My riding gear is laid out, a uniform to be worn into battle with 5,000 other cyclists, all riding to help cure cancer.

More than a few of the people on my mailing list have lost loved ones to cancer. More than a few have had a brush with cancer themselves. I ride for you and I ride for those who are battling cancer now.

If you have already donated, thank you for your support. Every dollar is appreciated. I'm just over 20% of the way to my goal of raising $10,000 this year and with your help I may just make it.

If you have not yet donated to the Pan Mass Challenge this year, please do so now. We're all fighting this battle together, one way or another.

To donate please visit http://www.pmc.org/profile/LL0033

Time to ride,

Lee

Thank you for the support

When I first got involved in the Pan Mass Challenge, it was for the bike ride. Then just 10 miles into the ride, on my very first day, out in the hills near Sturbridge, I started to see families sitting by the side of the road. 6 am, drinking coffee, holding signs saying "Thank you for supporting us".

I wondered why the signs said that. Then light dawned on marble head. D'oh! They were cancer survivors. They weren't there to provide support for me riding 190 miles. They were there to thank me for supporting them in their fight.

And right then and there the ride turned into a cause.

When I conduct my fundraising, when I ride the PMC, I think of all of the people who have been afflicted with cancer. All who have shared their stories with me. The father who lost his son to cancer. The woman who lost her twin.

And all of those who have fought and won.

Support the PMC and its mission by contributing at http://www.pmc.org/profile/LL0033.

Thanks!

Lee

Another Battle Lost

Farrah Fawcett died today after a two year battle with cancer. She was 62.

Will I Be There?

In January I signed up for the two day Pan Mass Challenge, committing to raise $4,200 for cancer research. At the time, I did not know whether I could make the two day ride, as my daughter was scheduled to return from a five week leadership trip to Israel on that Sunday.

Things have a way of working themselves out...or more precisely, I trusted that the universe would open up a space to allow me to ride and to get to the airport in time for my daughter's return.

In April we found out that her flight comes in mid-afternoon, which gives me just enough time to complete the Sunday ride, shower, eat and drive back from Provincetown to Logan Airport. I'm still a bit concerned about the timing, but I trust that things will work out. The day will be gorgeous, the weather perfect, I will pull strongly through the dunes on the Cape and into Provincetown, and then get to the airport in time to throw my arms around my daughter as she walks through the airport.

I do this because my friend Adam just finished chemotherapy and we're celebrating. I do this because my friend Jan just finished chemotherapy and we're celebrating. I do this because my teammate Aimee is still fighting her battle and a ten mile ride is a good ride for her right now. She's planning on riding the PMC and I will be there to support her. I didn't know this when I signed up, but the universe has a way of making things happen.

I've raised a grand total of $90 so far this year, not very far towards my goal of raising $10,000. It's a tough year with the challenges of the economy and the PMC has set a relatively modest goal of raising $30 million this year. I will do my part and I need your help.

Together we can raise the money to fund cancer research. Fully 100% of every dollar raised goes to cancer research. Please use this online form to make a donation. Every dollar helps.

I'm pedaling 192 miles in August, my annual pilgrimmage across the Cape to help eradicate cancer. Will you help?