This is a letter from Leah Demetrie (George's Daughter from Dana-Farber) Dear Paul, I just thought I'd share with you the letter I wrote to the people who supported me for the PMC. It was an honor to meet you, and it was truly inspiring for me to ride with you and the Posse. Everyone on the team was incredibly supportive, and I can't wait to do it again next year! Though the weekend of August 1st may have come and gone, I wanted to thank you for supporting me in my quest to ride the Pan-Mass Challenge this summer. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Let me start by giving you glimpse of my experience at the PMC. On Friday night of PMC weekend, I attended the event’s opening ceremonies in Sturbridge where the ride would commence the following morning. I found myself surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd of doctors, cancer survivors, those who have lost loved ones to the disease, and my own co-workers from the Dana Farber. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how incredible it is that a single event can bring together such a diverse group of people, all fighting together for the common goal of curing cancer. As I listened to the various speakers tell their stories that night, I was moved to tears. But don’t get me wrong – the tone of the night was certainly not melancholic. Instead, it was full of hope and energy, for as I learned, that’s what this ride is all about. The next morning, however, I was beside myself with nerves. When we lined up with our bikes at 6am to begin the ride, it finally hit me just how unprepared I was. I may be athletic, but my training had consisted of a few rides on my mountain bike combined with a whopping total of just 50 miles on my road bike. The farthest I had ridden in one go was 20 miles, and this was no 20 miles – I now had 192 to face in the coming hours. Amazingly, I managed to push aside the butterflies in my stomach, clip in my shoes, and start pedaling. At the second water stop, I was still feeling great, but it was the long stretch to the lunch stop that really got me. After almost 70 miles, my hamstrings began cramping up, I dropped one of my water bottles in the road along the way, and I had long ago been separated from my dad. I wasn’t in the best of shape when I finally arrived at that third stop, but I certainly wasn’t ready to give up. With a couple of bananas, a little stretching, and a whole lot of Gatorade, I was back out on the road in less than an hour, this time with a new agreement to stick with my dad all the way to Provincetown. And what a difference it made. We may have taken it slow, but encouraging one another through all the steep hills and the impending exhaustion, we both made it to Provincetown in high spirits. Another moving aspect of the event came from riding with "Paul’s Posse," a group who has come together in support of one of my dad’s patients. Having ridden in the PMC long before his own diagnosis of cancer, Paul has been an avid supporter of the event for years. Despite recovering from surgery just a short 9 months ago, Paul rode once again this summer, for he is not one to stand by and watch. His courage was truly inspiring to me. He made sure the team stuck together, and it was quite an experience to finish in Provincetown with the entire Posse by my side. As I learned from riding with my dad and the Posse, what really got me through this ride was the love and encouragement of my friends, family, and everyone who cheered me on during the ride. Without you, I would have never been able to accomplish such a feat. I never believed I would be able to reach the fundraising minimum of $4,000. "I’m only 17, I don’t even know that many people!" I told my parents. But thanks to you, I raised nearly $6,000! Together, we have been able to truly make a difference, and I can’t wait to get right back on my bike and do it all again next summer. Love, Leah
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