Team THANKS Rides Again – 2017 Pan-Mass Challenge message

Hello all

As promised, I wanted to let you know the outcome of the 2017 Pan Mass Challenge ride that took place last weekend. Team THANKS rode for the second year and had a 2017 goal of raising $40,000. Thanks to you all, we’re on track for hitting our stretch goal of $50,000 – every cent of which will be on its way to Dana Farber to help spark innovation in cancer treatment, save lives, and actually do something about cancer.

This year, my nephew and two daughters took a year off but we added two new team members Kathy Carlson and Nancy Serpa.  We met Kathy on the ride last year through the PMC Pedal Partner program. Her daughter Maddie was battling Ewing’s Sarcoma and is now cancer free.  We encouraged Kathy to join our team this year and she did!  Nancy has been a long time sponsor of our team, and lost her sister to cancer last year.  We also encouraged Nancy to ride with us to do something about cancer and she joined in for the Sunday leg from Bourne to Provincetown.  I crashed while training and had to sit this one out with a broken collar bone, but Jonathan Lilienfeld returned to ride with Kathy from Wellesley to P’town, while Steven Branson and Kevin Lewis rode from Sturbridge.  The five of them met up in Bourne at the end of Day One to continue on to P’town Day Two.

Here’s Kathy with daughter Maddie – our Pedal Partner – at the Lakeville stop on Day 1 with Kevin, Jonathan, and Paul Kennedy of Team PwC.

Here’s Kathy posing with Maddie’s sign at the Pedal Partner stop – what an amazing turn of events to see Maddie beat cancer, graduate from high school, and be getting ready for college in September – all with the help of Dana Farber, her family and friends, and generous people like you.

In Bourne, riders get a chance to share the many personal reasons they ride – Nancy’s post for her sister Sue is below the “D” near the bottom:

Next morning started before dawn, Nancy was ready to ride her first PMC…

But she hit a road grate in the dark that gave her a flat, and the team had to take over the rescue.

Here’s Steven working on the tire:

With that small bump in the road behind them, team THANKS took on the 20 mph winds of Wellfleet and finished strong at P’town!

This victory picture has become a tradition for every PMC ride.

Though I didn’t have a bike to hoist, I was able to join them all – together we did the hard part – raising nearly $50,000 (so far).

Celebrations followed at our favorite P’town beach bar…

Jonathan, Kathy, Kevin, and Steven were treated to a hero’s welcome on their way back into Boston Harbor on the slow ferry.

Thanks again for joining us – we couldn’t have done it without you.

For Team THANKS with much appreciation,

Mark, Captain

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We’re fighting cancer with Dana Farber by supporting the Pan Mass Challenge

Team THANKS