Cancer Sucks - Beating Cancer Rocks

The letter below was forwarded to me from my sister. The author works with her husband, my Brother-in-Law. I don’t know Mark, but he’s the kind of guy I’d like to know. Rather then sit around complaining and worrying after being diagnosed with cancer, he’s taking care of business and trying to do some good. Best of luck Mark!

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As many of you know, I love cycling. When I first arrived in Boston in June 2007 I made a commitment to enter the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) and ride almost 200 miles to help raise money for the world leading Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). Little did I know at the time that I would become a patient at DFCI and that I would tackle a much more personal challenge in the fight against cancer.

It all started in the fall of 2007 with a little late night bravado talk with Greg Pellegrino and Michael Marino about who could do the PMC ride and still walk the next day. The competitive instincts kicked in and we pushed each other on until there was no way to back down and the three of us were registered for the race – Michael didn’t even have a bike!

I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (MM), a type of blood cancer, on April 2^nd, 2008. This was a big shock to the system for me as I always thought of myself as fit and healthy with a deep passion for cycling, mountain biking, triathlon, skiing, hiking and just about any other sport that will take me outside. As it turns out, I am not as healthy as I thought I was. There is no cure for MM at this time, but there is now innovative treatment available that will hopefully put me into remission and allow me to live a totally normal life for many years to come. With a wonderful wife, twin four year old children and an army of supporters by my side, I have a lot to fight for. I am ready to do battle and I know I will win.

So with the diagnosis, I had to pull out of the PMC. At least that was what I thought until Wil Carroll, a Senior Manager in Boston with a long standing relationship as a volunteer organizer with the PMC figured out how to convert my registration to a ‘virtual rider’ rather than an actual rider. Greg and Michael simply wouldn’t let me off the hook and said, “we started this together and we’re going to finish this together”. They each donated $1,000 to my fundraising efforts and I was off to the races - I am still going to participate in the PMC this year. They also went one step further, Michael and Greg agreed to commit all of their fundraising efforts to my name.

With a goal of $34M in 2008, the Pan-Mass Challenge is a very important fundraiser for DFCI. “The PMC has made what we do at Dana-Farber possible,” said Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D. “When they write the history of how cancer was conquered, the PMC will be in chapter one.” DFCI has been at the forefront of research that has led to huge leaps forward in MM treatment in the last five years and with more highly innovative treatments in the pipeline, the outlook is very promising. In fact, my doctor told me last week that the book on MM is being completely re-written right now and that I have been given the pen. With that, I am going to work harder than ever to help raise funds for DFCI to help them continue their world leading research and find the cure – I would appreciate your help in making that happen.

My goal is to raise enough money in this year’s PMC to qualify as a “Heavy Hitter” fundraiser and ride it in person next year, after successfully completing my treatment. Please join me in this fight and make a donation – large or small, it all counts and every penny makes a difference.

Here is a link to the website with more information. To make a donation click on the “make an e gift” link on the right:

Donate to PMC

Alternately, you can make a contribution by visiting www.PMC.org and selecting “make a donation”. My fundraising site can be found by searching on “Mark Price, Medfield MA US” or by entering my eGift ID of “MP0175”.

Thank you and stay well,