Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Pan Mass Challenge Follow-Up

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my brother Mike completing another Pan Mass Challenge, a two-day bike ride that raises money for cancer research. A few days ago, he sent out his annual thank you letter to those who supported him, and I thought I'd give some brief commentary.

Mike writes:

Another successful Pan Mass Challenge has finished.  So far, my total donations exceed $7,500 which is far ahead of my $5,000 goal thanks to your generosity and support.  Initial indications point toward another successful year for the organization, and over $30 million in research funding is projected to be raised in the final tally.
This is very awesome. When I wrote about this a couple of days after he was finished, he was closer to $6000. Nice of some folks to keep coming through with donations. (Though I can't blame them for wanting to wait until he actually finished to commit the cash.)
Mike goes on to describe the race, including one of the stops:

The Lakeville stop is where riders can meet their pedal partners, young cancer patients that they partner up with. When you come into Lakeville, you climb a small hill, and off to the side there are posters of some of the pedal partners thanking the riders. After four years of doing his ride, I still have a hard time looking at those posters, imagining what those kids have to deal with at such a young age. This year, my brother, a cancer survivor met me there with his wife and kids along with my Dad. As glad as I was to see my brother there, he was wearing his ever present Red Sox shirt again this year. Hello Bob – the Bruins (my favorite team on the planet) won the Stanley Cup this year! I wasn’t feeling the love. Let’s move on from the last decade please.

He included a photo of us, with me in my Red Sox shirt.


You know, the one with Jon Lester's name and number.


You remember Jon Lester, right? The NHL survivor?


Pardon my symbolism.


May no Bruins player ever get cancer, but if any of them do, I'll wear his shirt next year. Promise.


(And even if he stays healthy -- and I sure hope he does -- I may wear Brad Marchand's shirt anyway, given what he did with the Stanley Cup.)

Thank you all until next year.

Mike

Thanks to you, Mike. Keep pedaling.

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