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First and foremost, thank you for your interest in our fundraising for the Dana Farber Institute for Cancer and the Pan Mass Challenge bike race on August 4th-5th, 2007.

This is the second time for both Jeff and I that we have decided to focus our usual fitness and training towards a specific goal and noteworthy cause. This time around, we've chosen the fight against cancer. And we feel particularly strengthened, knowing the organization to which we are donating is one of the most highly respected research organizations in the Boston area, the Dana Farber Institute.

Cancer is no stranger to us all, as we all have dear friends and family who are currently battling or have already lost their battle with cancer. Our society, our generation, must continue to dedicate our health resources toward finding a cure.

That is why Jeff and I have decided to take to our bikes on August 4th and 5th (yes, 2 days!). We will be riding across Massachusetts with a group of colleagues from the Parthenon Group for over 150 miles.

In order to participate in this race, we must raise money for the cause. This is where you all come in, our dear family and friends. We need your help to meet our fundraising goal.

Your donation is 100% tax deductible and please check with your company to see if they will match your gift. It can double or even triple your contribution and help the Dana Farber Institute get closer to a cure. Whatever you are able to give counts!

We will be continuing to update this web page with more info on our training, our fundraising progress, and other news. So be sure to check back or tell other people about it!

- Heather and Jeff

CANCER FACTS AND FIGURES

DID YOU KNOW?

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by either the runaway growth of cells or the failure of cells to die normally. Cancer can arise in any organ of the body and strikes one of every two American men and one of every three American women at some point in their lives.

Each year, nearly 1.4 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States, a figure that does not include the 900,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed annually. Cancer is the second leading cause of death (after heart disease) in the United States, accounting for 560,000 deaths every year. While more than 3 million people are diagnosed with cancer around the globe each year, the figure most likely represents just a percentage of people who have the disease but remain undiagnosed due to decreased access to healthcare in different parts of the world. There are more than 100 different varieties of cancer, which can be divided into six major categories. Carcinomas, the most common type of cancer, originate in tissues that cover a surface or line a cavity of the body. Sarcomas begin in tissue that connects, supports or surrounds other tissues and organs. Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph system, the circulatory system that bathes and cleanses the body's cells. Leukemias involve blood-forming tissues and blood cells. As their name indicates, brain tumors are cancers that begin in the brain, and skin cancers, including dangerous melanomas, originate in the skin. Cancers are considered metastatic if they spread via the blood or lymphatic system to other parts of the body to form secondary tumors.

Visit our donation page to pledge online