PMC Training Update

Dear Friends, Relatives, Colleagues, Classmates, etc,

First, thank you very much for all of you who have donated to support this very worthy cause. With almost $15 million is pledges so far, the PMC is on its way to its goal of $38 million this year. Every donation, large or small, counts towards that goal.

I thought I would update you on how our team's preparation for the big weekend is coming along. Team Noble Effort (Mike Noble, Kyle Noble, Hillary Noble, Lydia Gibson, Tom Quirk and myself) is spread out around the area and across the country. So a lot of our training is done by ourselves or with some other biker friends. Mike, Tom and I had a good ride recently and Hillary and I have also been out together a number of times and plan a few more rides before the event. I have been doing my riding on the Cape. I usually start along the Cape Cod Canal and then venture out towards Falmouth and Woods Hole. This way I can get a ride of anywhere from 30 to 70 miles depending on my mood and the weather. (Why is the wind always against me in both directions along the canal?). I have put in a lot of miles but have no idea how that will translate on the big weekend. I've been assured that the group spirit and the encouragement of spectators and cancer survivors who line the streets will carry me through.

OK, that's enough about me. Some of you already know that our Team Leader and inspiration will not be able to participate this year. On a recent training ride (with me along the windy canal), he took a nasty header into an embankment and when the dust settled he had broken his collar bone, 5 ribs and had a punctured lung. This happenned almost 2 weeks ago and now, after spending a couple nights in the MGH, he is resting UNcomfortably in Sandwich.  He is such a strong supporter of the hospital, the doctors and this fund raiser that he is quite frustrated by this untimely turn of events. (Actually, when is a good time to break your collar bone?)  Knowing Mike, I'm sure he will be at every rest stop cheering us on.

If you feel that you can help Dana Farber, the PMC, Team Noble and, of course, me meet our goals, we would really appreciate your help.

We are directing our fundraising efforts to Dr. Brian Wolpin's research team in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana Farber.  Dr. Wolpin is working with researchers around the country in conducting innovative research on the causes, detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer. This is the kind of effort that we need to conquer all forms of cancer. Here is a snippet of a recent email between Mike and Dr Wolpin.

Hi Mike:

Thank you for the e-mail. I would be happy to talk with you about our progress since our last meeting, including on three major fronts: profiling blood samples to find early diagnostic markers for pancreatic cancer, DNA sequencing to find new areas of the genome that predispose to development of pancreatic cancer, and DNA sequencing of pancreatic tumors to identify the drivers of cancer growth. It really has been an exciting year, as all three of these major projects have born results.  I would also be happy to think about how we can provide you with some documentation to share.

We certainly appreciate your continued support and are working hard every day to push the field forward.

Best,

Brian

Brian M. Wolpin, MD, MPH

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Harvard Medical School

450 Brookline Avenue

Boston, MA 02215, USA

There are 3 ways you can donate to this cause. Those of you who have already donated have used all 3 ways. They are all simple.

By credit card at the pmc site. Go to www.pmc.org   and click on Donate. Enter my full name (Tony Donovan ), select me and then click on Continue to donate.

Or, by sending a check to PMC. Make out your check to PMC and send it to this address. Remember to include my name and ID on the envelope.

Tony Donovan 77952-2

Pan-Mass Challenge

PO Bos 415590

Boston, MA 02241-5590

Or, by sending me a check, made out to me, which I will endorse over to the PMC and forward for you.

Tony Donovan

23 Rose Court Way

E. Walpole, MA 02032

We sincerely thank you for your help. We know there are lots of causes asking for you charity dollars, so if you decide to make a donation now, we appreciate anything you can give to help in this fight. It means a lot to us but it will mean even more to the future victims of cancer. Feel free to forward this email to anyone who might want to support this cause.

Thank you!

Tony