A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

PMC 2008: I’d like to thank you again for your past support of the Pan-Mass Challenge (“PMC”). Your generosity really means a lot to me. I’d like to ask for your support again this year.

On August 2nd and 3rd, I will be biking nearly 200 miles across Massachusetts to support cancer research as part of the PMC. I want to tell you a little about the ride and to ask for your support. The PMC benefits the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the leading cancer research center in Massachusetts. I am riding in memory of my father David Elwood, who was treated at the Dana-Farber before he died suddenly of cancer in 2004, and my beloved Uncle Murray, who died of cancer the year before that. You might enjoy re-reading here the thoughts I shared last fall about baseball, Mexican culture, Russian literature, fathers, sons, cancer, life, and death.

A few weeks ago, I happened to ride my bike to the gym. I ran into a guy in the locker room whom I know only a little. We tend to be on the same workout schedule so he’s someone I see at the gym regularly, but we generally just say hello or make small talk. He noticed my biking clothes and we started chatting. I was starting to tell him about my plan to ride in the PMC, when he interrupted me.

"That ride benefits the Dana Farber, right? About 5 years ago when things looked hopeless for my mother and her lung cancer, she was treated there. She made an amazing recovery. And although she is not doing well at the moment, my family feels as though the doctors there gave her at least 5 more years than she might have had.”

He asked me about how to make a contribution. I wrote out the information for him on a piece of paper. A week or so later, there was a generous donation for the PMC in my mail.

Let’s all do everything we can to stomp out cancer in our lifetimes. The chances are that you or someone you love has had to grapple with cancer. It would mean a lot to me if you could help me to raise money for the Dana-Farber. I hope to raise over $6,000 this year and I need your help. Please click here for more information (including the harrowing tale of my ride in 2007) or to make a contribution (this website looks best if you use Internet Explorer; also, please add a note to my guestbook there).

There is quite a moving transcript of a speech by an "evangelical oncologist" here.