When I recently got an email titled "Why I Ride" from a friend, I had the idea to ask her if I could post her missive as a Why Wednesday.
Suzanne and I met at eighteen years old, thirty-eight years ago, when we were assigned to live in the same college dorm. In the fall of 1987, I didn't know which people in my life would go on to do humanity-bettering things; I knew only that she was nice.
I've supported her fundraising efforts to cure cancer for several years, but I wanted to share her work with a broader audience in hopes that together, we can do more.
Clicking on the photos above and below or on THIS LINK will bring you to her fundraising page. I hope you'll consider making a donation to support her and this important cause.
Here's her Why I Ride letter:
Thank you for continuing to support us in our Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) rides. The PMC is the largest sports fundraising event in the world, attracting over 7,000 riders & 2500 volunteers for a two-day cycling jaunt across Massachusetts. 100% of every dollar PMC cyclists raise goes directly to cancer research and care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
We can’t believe we are less than five weeks away from PMC 2025. It is our 14th year riding, and we remain committed to the battle against cancer. You all have helped us raise over $134,000 to date. We are humbled by all of those who have asked if we are riding and if they can support us again.
Thinking about the PMC this year has been challenging. As we would guess may be true for many of you, we have friends and family who have battled, who are newly battling, and who have lost their battles with cancer this year. As most of you know, we were first motivated to ride the PMC because of my personal experience being diagnosed with and treated for thyroid cancer in 1999. As we often say, we feel incredibly fortunate that I had cancer with a lower-case “c”.
It is hard to believe we lost Alan nine years ago to pancreatic cancer. We continue to draw upon his wisdom, imagine his advice, and know he is guiding us as we navigate some of the trickier moments of life.
Among those we ride in honor of this year is our niece Alexandra, who, a year ago, was diagnosed with an osteoclastoma/giant cell tumor in her cervical spine, which then broke her neck. She has been battling tirelessly, undergoing treatment and surgeries. She is very much still fighting her battle, which underscores our reason to ride.
In case this is of interest, here’s a little flavor from last year’s ride:
It was a beautiful weekend. Even when the weather is less than great, we feel blessed. But it’s nice not to have to battle wind, cold, heat, rain, etc, and last year was pretty perfect. We started out from Babson with
The run into Lakeville was heart-rending as always, with Suz commenting that there seemed to be more posters than ever of the kids battling cancer. A highlight every year is coming up the hill to a crew of the best cheerleaders in Onset (see picture below). Perfect timing, 83 miles into the ride with tired legs.
Another meaningful moment, as always, was turning right out to the Provincetown dunes at the end of day two. It was a very solemn and yet peaceful last few miles, giving us space to pause for a moment and remember all those for whom we ride. Then our friend and Sherpa extraordinaire Marilyn gave us a much-appreciated ride back to Onset for a shower, another meal, and time with friends on Luann’s porch.
We really appreciate all of you who continue to support this healing event so that we can someday live in a world free of cancer!!! Whether you continue to donate a little or a lot, or are sending us emotional support, we are honored and humbled to have such a loving community supporting us. Please know that we are grateful to ride in honor of so many of you and your loved ones.
Love,
Suzanne and Tim
Suzanne, you are such an inspiration to me as a mother and a human. Bravo for continuing to ride and to love and care about the world so deeply!
I love that the first comment on this post is from another woman I met at age eighteen who is also making the world a better place. Tusks up, as they now say!
The PMC is a remarkable event. I’ve supported my college roommate’s ride in honor of her husband’s death from leukemia approximately 15 years ago. The members of her group vary from year to year and now include her twin sons and some grandkids. Thank you for spreading the good word.
And thank YOU for supporting such important work. Imagine living in a world where cancer is always curable!
Awww. Thank you so much for sharing and your continued support of our PMC. And Launa, thank you for your kind words and support — it means a lot to me. I feel so grateful to be connected to you both after all of these years ❤️❤️
I’m happy to help, grateful to know you both, and have fingers crossed that some of my readers support the cause!