Along with thousands of participants from across the nation, junior Sam Geschickter and senior Kira Brown biked over 50 miles for the Pan-Mass Challenge on Aug. 3 and 4. Bikers rode 11 different bike routes going through 46 different towns and cities in Massachusetts.
Started in 1980 by Billy Starr, the PMC is an annual bike-a-thon that raises money for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This year, the PMC raised $39 million, bringing the totals from the past 33 years to $414 million.
Starr established the PMC when cancer devastated his family.
“I started the PMC after having lost my mother, my uncle, and my cousin to cancer in the 70s,” Starr said. “It changed my life. I wanted to join this battle.”
Brown and Geschickter were among some of the younger participants who went beyond expectation and exceeded the $500 fundraiser minimum.
“I sent out letters to friends and family and put a Facebook link to my profile,” Brown said. “I asked for donations. You have a certain amount of money you need to raise or else you pay the difference yourself.”
Starr said that he hopes more teens will join because of increasing awareness of PMC.
For both Brown and Geschickter, the PMC is much more than just a fundraiser.
According to Geschickter, the PMC brings his family together. Geschickter’s father has been riding for the past 20 years, and his mother has been heavily involved for the past 15 years. Geschickter became inspired to participate through them.
“The PMC means a lot to us as a family. We have a lot of family members who have suffered from cancer,” Geschickter said. “My dad started the PMC the year after my grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia. She’s been diagnosed with cancer four times. He’s been doing it ever since.”
Like Geschickter, Brown said that her family’s involvement in the PMC inspired her to participate as well. Growing up, she made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at rest stops. However, according to Brown, it was the decision to ride two years ago that completely changed her.
“There were times where I would be riding to rest stops and there would be people holding up signs for their loved ones; people who passed away from cancer, people who survived cancer,” she said. “On each side of the road, there were signs with kids on them, everyone cheering the riders on, and I cried. The PMC has made me realize it’s really not just about me. It’s about a lot of other people and the struggles other people go through, and its time for me to stop focusing on myself, and instead, give back to others.”
Senior Sylvie Florman was one of those people shouting her support for the riders. Florman has gone to Wellfleet Cape Cod to cheer on her dad, uncle, and the other riders for the past eight years. She said that especially for her father, a cancer survivor, the weekend is dedicated to Florman’s mother, who died from lung cancer two and a half years ago.
“We give them water and cheer them on,” Florman said. “I make signs with my little cousins and scream as the riders go by. Then, we drive to Provincetown and wait at the finish line as they all ride in. It’s a really exciting and all around joyful event. People are standing around wearing ‘survivor’ shirts, and they all get on a party ferry with fountains and a band and celebrate their way back to the Boston Harbor.”
Volunteering and donating are two ways that students can get involved. Attending the bike-a-thon and cheering people on are also ways of supporting the cause. According to Brown, getting involved however you can is the greatest gift you can give.
“I can’t stop cancer,” Brown said. “But I’m helping the search for a cure, and that’s pretty special.”
Pearl Choi can be contacted at [email protected]
