Thank you for your support
 
On behalf of the Pedals for Pediatrics team, my patients, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Children’s Hospital Boston, I want to thank you for your generous and overwhelming support of my effort on behalf of children with cancer.  Your contribution enabled me to raise a total of $82,780 this year.  The Pedals for Pediatrics team raised an additional $46,539, which brings our total for this year to $129,319, all of which will be used to support pediatric cancer patients and research into pediatric cancer.  This year, the Pan-Mass Challenge raised a total of $26 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
 
I would also like to publicly thank the corporate sponsors who contributed to this effort: DHL (who not only made a generous donation but also sent Scott Northcutt, one of their executive vice presidents, all the way to Massachusetts to ride on our team), Whole Foods Markets, Jamaica Hill Realty, Yogi Tea, Au Bon Pain, Farina’s Bicycle Center, Risk Strategies Company, Prides Capital, Light ‘n Leisure Inc., as well as Tom, Ray and the entire CarTalk crew.  Several companies provided generous matching funds, including the Chicago Tribune Foundation, Unum Provident Corporation, the Merck Company Foundation, the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Dominion Foundation, Eaton Vance Management, Bank of America, General Electric, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  
 
Riding in the 2006 Pan-Mass Challenge was simultaneously inspiring and humbling.  It is difficult to fully describe the feeling of being surrounded by over 4,000 individuals united in a common goal.  I can tell you this, however: the sense of purpose, combined with support from innumerable people standing along side of the road cheering on the riders, made the miles fly by.  Over the two days I had the privilege of riding with cancer survivors, fellow oncologists, those who had lost loved ones to cancer, the father of one of my patients, my wife Julie, and of course, the thoughts and memories of the children that I have been lucky to care for over the past two years.  During the difficult climbs or strong headwinds, I found inspiration to pedal a little harder by reminding myself that the discomfort I felt was trivial compared to what these amazing children endured.  
 
Again, I want to thank you for your generous support of this effort.  It is truly humbling to have so many willing to contribute to this effort.  It is not a co-incidence that you are receiving this message on Thanksgiving Day - I am truly thankful for your help.
 
The Pedals for Pediatrics team met on November 3rd and have started to allocate some of the funds that we have raised:
    
  1. • $15,000 to fund the pediatric oncology/stem cell transplant resource room: some of the programs that will be funded include a “Just for Teens” program, the “Weekend Grind” coffee hour and support group for parents of children hospitalized with cancer, provision of resource/education materials for patients and families, and Resource Room programs such as special activities and family dinners.
  2. •$15,000 for the Extraordinary Needs fund to provide financial support for families undergoing treatment.
  3. •$10,000 per year for a Pediatric Cancer Research Pilot Grant to be awarded to an outstanding senior fellow or junior faculty member in pediatric oncology.
  4. •$5,000 per year for a Pediatric Oncology Nursing Grant
  5. •We will be considering proposals from the newly established Hospital-to-Home transition program.
 
The Pedals for Pediatrics team will continue to meet quarterly to consider new proposals for funding from within the Dana-Farber and Children’s Hospital pediatric oncology programs.  We will also be considering ways to go beyond the Pan-Mass Challenge and turn our group into a bona fide charitable organization that raises money on an on-going basis.
 
Please enjoy the pictures that I’ve posted to this page as a small token of thanks (additional pictures of the ride can be found on the PMC website).  On this Thanksgiving Day, I wish you and your family all the best.  I look forward to planning for the 2007 Pan-Mass Challenge and will keep you updated on how the money you contributed has been used, including details about the research we are funding.
 
With sincerest thanks,
 
Sam Blackman
Fellow in Pediatric Oncology and Neuro-Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston
sam@rideforthem.com
 
 
 
Ronan
Ronan’s Family
Sam, Mike and Julie
Sam, Julie and Iiro
Sam and Iiro
Kristen
Ronan
Avery’s Family
Sam and Avery
Ronan’s Family
Sam and Avery
Sam and Scott
Sam and Jeff
Sam and Brent