This August, not only is my husband Jon celebrating his 41st birthday, he will be riding in his second Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), a 2-day, 200 mile bike-a-thon across the state of Massachusetts, in support of the Jimmy Fund/Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. Being a cancer survivor himself, this ride and fundraising effort is to honor the lives of the people and children who have or have had cancer. Last year, he rode in honor of his buddy, Jacob Villarreal, our 10 year old friend who was battling Pilocytic Astrocytoma – a type of juvenile brain cancer. He was diagnosed when he was 6 ½ years old with a tumor the size of a hen’s egg on his brain which blocked spinal fluid to the brain stem. So after one 10 hour surgery and over 3 months of rehabilitative therapy, Jacob was learning how to walk, talk, eat and sit up alone again. He was cancer free for 1 year until the tumor started growing back. After a few more surgeries and a 58 week chemotherapy plan, Jacob is now living like a normal 10 year old boy playing video games, playing with friends, with a cell phone and living CANCER FREE with no residual evidence of tumor re-growth! Earlier this year x-rays also showed that the tumor was gone!
We had such an overwhelming response to his PMC ride last year that he was able to ride in honor and memory of several people. This year, he wants to make the ride about those we honor or miss every day. If you would like to dedicate your donation to someone dear, please include his or her name in a note and send through the run or email me (include a picture if possible). In their honor or memory, Jon will carry the notes and pictures, along with their fighting spirit, on his ride. One of our favorite things at last year’s PMC was having Jon’s picture taken at the finish line holding pictures of those that “came along for the ride”. It was an absolute honor to give those pictures to the families and friends that supported him, especially Patti’s little friend Mattie!
There are many parts to this Challenge. The patients and their families have the challenge of facing and battling the disease every day. The staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute has their daily research and also works with the patients. My part is to train, ride and do the fundraising. Your challenge is to make a generous contribution. Doing so helps to hold open the possibility Jacob and many the others will be cancer free for many years to come. I was blessed with a premature but beautiful baby girl 2 months ago. My dream is for her to grow up in a world where we speak about cancer in a past tense.
To make a secure, online donation, please go to www.pmc.org and enter Jon Binsted in the box at the top left of the page. If you prefer, you can remit a check, made payable to the PMC and send it to me care of Phyllis Browning Company (Annex), 6011 Broadway – Suite 203, San Antonio, Texas 78209 or call me at 210-8324-7878 ext. 1174. All donations are fully tax deductible & 100% of your funds will go directly to the Jimmy Fund. This is an amount unheard of in the fundraising industry, where 60% of donations are considered a great number. If your company has a matching gifts program that supports our efforts to find a cure, please send or submit the appropriate paperwork.
The PMC’s goal is to raise $34 million this year. Jon’s unalterable commitment is to raise $4,200 and his stretch goal is $10,000. In case you missed it above, EVERY penny of rider raised funds went directly to the Jimmy Fund last year. Thank you in advance for your generous contribution, your support and for the difference you make.
On behalf of all the children and families, Jon & I thank you.
Johnna Binsted
