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Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Not many people can say they ride their bicycles for a good cause. Some may use them for fitness, some for leisure, and some not at all, their bikes gathering cobwebs in the garage. Kristin Kirwan will pedal 111 miles, biking from Sturbridge to Bourne in one day to raise funds and to help fight cancer. A three-time cancer survivor, the long ride means that much more to Kirwan. First diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1988 as a college freshman, Kirwan's had to battle through melanoma and breast cancer as well. A side effect of her cancer treatment is neuropathy, a disorder of the peripheral nerves the motor, sensory and autonomic nerves that connect the spinal cord to muscles, skin and internal organs. It usually affects the hands and feet, causing weakness, numbness, tingling and pain. For Kirwan, neuropathy sometimes makes it feel like her feet are on fire. Overcoming the odds, she's been biking in the Pan-Mass Challenge for the past five years. On the first weekend of August, more than 5,000 cyclists from 35 states and eight countries will join her in a journey across the Commonwealth in the 28th Annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC). Their goal is to raise $27 million for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, bringing the organization's total contribution to the $200 million mark, according to a release from PMC. "As a college student, your first instinct is to try and live a normal life," Kirwan said about learning she had cancer. "As a mom, I wanted to give something back. It's about making something positive out of something devastating." While she was fighting her breast cancer, her oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggested she join the PMC team he was the captain of. Kirwan finished her chemotherapy treatment March 28 and by the first weekend in August she was biking from Wellesley to Bourne, an 84 mile trek. Last year was the first time she biked the Sturbridge to Bourne route. At 111 miles, this is the longest one-day route available. With thousands of cyclists gathered at the starting line in Sturbridge at 6:30 a.m., Kirwan can't help but be moved. "To see all these riders and all the people that come out to support us is amazing," she said. "I ride and I cry." Cancer doesn't discriminate, Kirwan said. It affects everyone in a community and a community needs to work together to beat it. That's what the PMC is a large, caring community who want to fight and someday eliminate cancer. "If I can do this, anyone can do this," she said. "It's very reaffirming. These rides make you feel like your body can do something right." Together, Kirwan, her husband and her two sons have raised over $35,000 to help fund cancer research. She believes that what the PMC is doing really does make a difference. "Ninety-nine cents of every dollar raised goes to the Jimmy Fund," Kirwan said. "That's unbelievable. No other fundraiser truly gives that much." Thanks in part to the $173 million already raised by the PMC, the change in cancer care over the past 10 years has been "tremendous," according to Kirwan. "Even in the advances in the past five years have been huge." "The PMC has made what we do at Dana-Farber possible," said Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, president of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. "When they write the history of how cancer was conquered, the PMC will be in chapter one." The generosity of others is what keeps the PMC going. From the $10,200 raised in its first year in 1980 to the $23 million raised in 2005, donations and sponsorships are what make the difference. The average PMC cyclist raises over $5,500. Kirwan's goal for this year is $7,500. "I am overwhelmed by the generosity of those who ride and those who give to support this cause," Kirwan said. Tax-deductible donations can be made until October by check or online at www.pmc.org. To donate to Kirwan, use the eGift #KK0056 or "Kristin Kirwan." For information on the Pan-Mass Challenge please visit www.pmc.org. | ||||||
