Taking The Next Step in 2010

PHAT Tuesday will celebrate our tenth year as a Pan-Mass Challenge team in 2010 and we invite companies to take the next step with us.

Team PHAT Tuesday is one of the most recognized teams supporting the Pan-Mass Challenge. The PMC has become the nation’s most successful athletic fundraising event; generating over $30 million annually, with every rider-raised dollar going to life-saving cancer research & treatment. Each August, you will find our PHAT Tuesday team turning the cranks on our bikes in the PMC’s 200 mile ride across Massachusetts.

PHAT Tuesday has evolved into one of the most involved and visible teams supporting the PMC’s August event and other associated PMC annual programs. Because of our team’s visibility at the PMC events, we are often seen in the Boston newspapers as well as in the TV spotlights. Locally we work hard to promote our team and cause, also having our team events recognized in the local press and TV. We have embraced the internet, creating www.PHATtuesday.org, the PHAT blog, PHAT on Facebook, and ActiveWeGo.com (a website dedicated to group cycling and training), where, through all of these, we generate considerable activity and traffic.

We’re very proud of our accomplishments but, realize our current annual fund raising efforts are reaching their capacity. We believe with the cooperation of a series of corporate sponsorships, we can take things to another level and further our commitment to the fight against cancer.

We want to identify companies which appreciate our cause and ambition, and would help us in this effort with their financial sponsorship. If you are part of or know an organization that would see the value in teaming up with one of the most visible, recognizable and hard-working groups in the Pan-Mass Challenge, we would like chance to discuss this opportunity.

Please contact us at info@phattuesday.org for more information.

Sincerely,

Members of team PHAT Tuesday

Web: www.PHATtuesday.org

Jake's Recent Updates

Jake's mom, Kim recently posted the following update.

Cancer World Stinks!

Posted Oct 8, 2009 11:03am

That is a given on any day but I'm finding out today that yesterday was particularly bad. Nothing changed for us at clinic but we saw 2 of our long time patient friends there yesterday and found out this morning that they both got not great news after their appointments. Please say a few prayers for Charlotte and Kira who don't deserve any of this. Both kids looked great and it is hard to hear the news.

Yesterday at clinic was like old home week-yes crazy that is how we see clinic sometime. We saw so many of our old friends on and off treatment that have been living this as long or longer then us. Jake joined a pizza party with his friends Chris and Hayley and was happy to see so many others. I love to see the kids making the best of this situation. It was great to see Maddie and her mom Paula who is one of our inspirations since she just passed her one year off treatment visit from the relapse protocol that we are on right now. Yay maddie! She looks beautiful and Jake even blushed a little when he saw her. :)She gives us the hope we need for the future.

Jake has been feeling good still. His night terrors stopped shortly after I posted last, which was a relief. He is back on steroids this past week and has been eating like a champ. He has gained a few pounds which will be a good buffer going into this next more difficult cycle where he likely will lose some weight. His blood counts were great and was able to get his last dose of chemo for this cycle. Next week he will move into the next phase which runs for 24 weeks(until we hit our 1 year mark) Next Wednesday he will have to begin going inpatient again pretty frequently. He will start off with the very tough Ara-C which is the one that drops his counts to nothing for an extended time. So I will be gearing up to bunk at Chez Children's for planned and unplanned stays. We will also have to start the blood thinning shots daily next week again and and GCSF shots too so we will be back to 2 shots a day many days. He is not happy about this in the least. Neither are we! He still has bruises all over his legs from the last round. The alternative is that the clot in his heart gets bigger and that is just not an option in our book!

For now we will enjoy our last weekend of unbridled fun, sports, etc before the shoe drops. I am just so thankful for the summer we had and that he has been able to be in school for the first 6 weeks to get settled. I never thought that would even happen. We got some pictures in the mail yesterday that were taken at Hole in the wall Camp(courtesy of Flashes of Hope) of our beautiful bald boy. I will post one in the photo gallery soon! It show how far he has come even from July. Thanks for checking in!

Prayers for all our friends, please...

Love, Kim

You can keep up with Jake's updates at www.carepages.com/carepages/JakeMaguire


PHAT Tuesday

An update from Kira's carepage

Below is the reason PHAT Tuesday rides the Pan-Mass Challenge. Kira Corning, a member of our PHAT Tuesday PHamily and our 2006/2007 Pedal Partner.

Not as planned

Posted 10/08/09

We just got punched in the stomach again. Although the preliminary read of Kira’s MRI said her spine was clear, the senior radiologist noticed something showing up, a very small enhancement, in her lower spine. Unfortunately this was noticed after we were told stable last week and long after Kira was out of the MRI machine. Now this could be a blood vessel as it isn’t presenting as a typical tumor. Kira doesn’t do anything “typically” so no matter how much they are trying to tell us they aren’t alarmed, and that this is just “unsettling” and not alarming, we are sick to our stomachs. Bottom line, we need to get more pictures and some cross sections to determine what this enhancement is in her spine. The plan is to get another MRI of brain and spine, with thinner slices and do it hopefully in 3 weeks as her end of treatment MRI. And hopefully, fingers crossed, this will actually be just an end of treatment MRI and not the start of something new.

KIRA KNOWS NOTHING about this. She doesn’t need to know. They’ll redo the MRI and then we’ll either be done, or figure out the next line of treatment. Until we figure out what we have, we are just going along as “normal”. Yeah, easier said than done. Our oncologist did go over some advances they have made thanks to people raising money for them to do research. So if you donated to Kira’s Kruisers recently, you’ve really helped us out! Our team has contributed over $83,000 to research. If this is not a blood vessel in Kira’s spine and in fact disease, we have a lot of new medicines that we can try thanks to research being done.

Some other friends at clinic got some bad news yesterday too. I just cannot ever get used to hearing our friends continually relapse. Hey, some also got good news too and I’m so very happy for that. Please just keep all our clinic friends in your thoughts.

ENOUGH DOOM AND GLOOM! Kira’s 8th birthday was this past weekend and we had a blast. We went to the RainForest Café for lunch with the Eisnors and then to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D! The slideshow I’ve been using isn’t allowing me the edits I want, so a few comments on the slideshow. There is one picture when Mary sees Kira and basically goes air born into Kira’s arms! Then there’s a few where the girls are looking around SCREAMING during the “rain storm” in the restaurant. It was hysterical!

Copy and paste the link below into your browser to see the slideshow:

http://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=reneecorning&SID=259906&Show=Y&p=

To read more about Kira, you can visit her carepage at www.carepages.com/carepages/KirasCorner

Fund Raising Update - Oct 1

Greetings! October 1st is the deadline for all PMC riders to have their "minimum" in. At this time, all members of the PHAT Tuesday team have met their minimum fund raising requirement and then some. (Though it is never to late to give. www.pmc.org/tp0049 )

PHAT Tuesday's team total is at $112,642.77. Just $1,360 short of making us a Heavy Hitter team. Still an outstanding job!

On behalf of the entire team, "Thank you" to all who supported team PHAT Tuesday in 2009!

....

Elle's Updates

This is the latest update from our Pedal Partner's carepage...

This is why we continue to ask for your support...

It's never too late... visit.. www.pmc.org/tp0049

Uncharted Territory

Take a million kids. Maybe 100 of them develop childhood cancer. Out of those, say 10 will get Wilm's tumor. Perhaps two of those will have a form of the disease that doesn't respond completely to standard treatment. Elle is beyond that point today.

The official pathology results were delivered to us earlier today and as many of you have already heard, viable tumor was found in the two nodules that were extracted from her lung. These cells appeared to be completely unaffected by the chemotherapy treatment that Elle has received to date.

It seems that the portion of Elle's disease that remains is a rather rare form - so rare that her doctors are having trouble finding other cases to compare her to. As one doctor put it, one could spend an entire career as a Wilm's tumor specialist and only encounter one or two similar cases.

This lack of case history means that while there are several treatment options available to her at this point, there is no guarantee that any will work - not that the doctors don't think they have a chance of being effective, it's just that with so few like cases, there is no established protocol for eliminating this form of the disease.

That is the bad news. The good news comes from it, and that is that the cells that remain of Elle's original tumor probably have not responded to conventional chemotherapy because they are so slow growing. The standard treatment works on cells that are dividing or preparing to divide, states that normal cells spend relatively little of their lifetime in. The thought is that the remaining cancerous cells aren't dividing rapidly, and so aren't that vulnerable either.

Elle will have a CT scan tomorrow to ascertain what growth of the tumors, if any, has occurred in the ten weeks she's been off treatment. The results will help us determine what course to follow next. If the scan shows no change in the size of the lesions, we will have the luxury of more time to decide what to do. This will likely involve some sort of clinical trial of an experimental drug. If it looks like the tumors have grown or spread, we might put her on a newly developed protocol of standard chemotherapy agents.

We hope to hear on Thursday that Elle's disease is stable. This is entirely possible, and in fact one of the options the doctors were seriously considering was to simply sit back and monitor her condition. Apparently, in the few similar cases that are known, the disease can remain in a quiescent state for years. However, since the experimental treatments that Elle could receive have relatively few side effects, we will probably go forward with a trial in any case.

I will wrap this update up with the medical "so" that has become all to familiar to us over the past few months - so, we do not have a course of action at this time, nor do we even have a medically-based prognosis for Elle. There is just not enough known about children in her situation. We are truly in uncharted territory and will rely our faith and the grace of God to help us make the right decisions about Elle's future treatment. Please continue to keep Elle in your prayers.

Thank you.

Fund Raising Update

Fundraising Total to date: $89,277.77

Our fund raising has grown, but we still need help. A few of our teammates have yet to reach their minimum. If you have not yet donated and would like to, please go to http://www.pmc.org/tp0049 where you can make an online donation to the team.

Sights and Sounds of PMC 209

PHAT "Phil" opens this video and the entire PHAT team are present during the closing moments.

PHAT "Phil" Snapper interviewed at the start...

I guess in the "P H" "PHAT" spirit even NECN got it and decided to change Bill to Phil. See "Phil's" interview at the starting line of the 30th Pan Mass Challenge.

PHAT Tuesday on NECN (Dighton Stop)

The PHATs are about 1:15 from the end of the video.

PHAT Tuesday on NECN @ the Finish

Multimedia message

Multimedia message

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by Team PHAT Tuesday PMC.

Multimedia message

Multimedia message

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by Team PHAT Tuesday PMC.

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast, originally uploaded by Team PHAT Tuesday PMC.

Tim at breakfast

It's GO time!

PMC weekend is here!

With it brings many emotions. We are all VERY excited to represent you in the fight against Cancer.

Today our Pedal Partner Elle B. is going in for a biopsy on her lungs to determine how her treatments have done. She will be in the ICU for at least 24 hour. Hopefully all will be well. Unfortunately, that means she will not be able to join us on the route. Please join our PHAT PHamily in a little spiritual thought for a good out come.

Also, our teammate, Donna Kleinman learned Thursday that her sister, Marie, was diagnosed with Cancer. This will be news to many on the team. Yet another reason it is so easy to simply ride a bike nearly 200 miles.

The PMC will be covered extensively on New England Cable News (NECN). "Channel 6 on Comcast”. Please watch this channel during the weekend or log on to www.necn.com . They will be covering the event live starting Friday Night starting at 7:00 PM. The telecast is informative and interesting.

If you wish to donate to our PHAT Tuesday team go to www.pmc.org/tp0049

Thank you for all your support.

Team PHAT Tuesday
www.phattuesday.org

Over the Shoulder

Over the Shoulder

Over the Shoulder, originally uploaded by Team PHAT Tuesday PMC.

Here comes Phat Tuesday on the last training ride before the PMC.

The training is done. PMC here we come!

Thousands of training miles have been logged by the team. Over 78 thousand dollars have raised by Team PHAT Tuesday this year so far. Our goal is $100,000. Please help by donating. Every dollar counts. Every dollar helps. Every dollar goes directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Instutute where miracles are made to happen. Donations can be made on behalf of the team by clicking
here.

Want to donate on behalf of a specific PHAT Tuesday rider? Click the link corresponding to the rider you want to support below.
Jim Barry
Tim Brightman
Mark Brightman
Scott Britton
Pete Bromann
Dave Eberhart
Kevin Fitzpatrick
Donna Kleinman
Joy Longa
Laura Mann
Marc Mann
Rachel Mann
Paul Metcalf
Martin Middelmann
Fred Paine
Bob Reed
Kevin Robbins
Bill Snapper
David Winthrop

Teammate Profile - Fred Paine

The PMC and Me

Like many, cancer has had a dramatic effect on my family. My mother died very quickly in 1983 as a consequence of cervical cancer and my father died in 1997 from lung cancer. His death was a long suffocating battle, but through it all, his demeanor, determination and faith will forever be a life lesson for me.

Shortly, after my father died, I met Kevin who put the idea of the PMC into my head, it seemed a gigantic task, raising $1100 was one thing , but to ride a bicycle to P-town in 2 days, that was something else, nerve wracking, hard work, and exciting, the perfect cathartic payback to my father. If I ride 20 more PMC’s, I will never payback what I owe to my father, he of course, would tell me, the pleasure was all his, just part of his beauty!

Although, I will always ride in honor of my parents, the PMC and why I ride has evolved over the last 12 years, starting with what I have learned from my PMC Cycle Team PHAT Tuesday. I have met and become friends with some wonderful people. I have heard it said that PHAT Tuesday is simply a group of people who come together for a common cause, and that may be true, but working as small team, within the larger PMC team, to be a part of finding a cure for cancer is more than cool!

Speaking of cool, one of the coolest people I know has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and has had to work through a reoccurrence - she is the essence of pure strength and grace together – an example to all ! My friend Joyce is recovering wonderfully from Ovarian Cancer, 10 years ago, I am not sure this would be possible! Our pedal partner Ethan is such a joy and it is fantastic that the wonderful Julia is turning 17. Through the team and our pedal partners, I have receive just a taste of what it is like to have a child with cancer, the strength and courage of these families is just amazing.

PHAT Tuesday has their own group of volunteers, who without asking, help us at all our team events, truly just helping the cause without experiencing the glory of the ride. The Deb’s, Maryellen, Andrea, Donna etc – their help and example are wonderful.

Tim and Mark’s dedication to their brother who died of cancer so long ago is always an inspiration!

I always owe thanks to my wife Marsha who suffers through PMC talk 12 months a year, and once May comes, our life evolves around my training for the PMC.

But just in the last year, Big Paul, Pete, and Dave have lost their sisters to cancer, Marc lost his dad and Kevin just lost his mother to cancer - Cancer doesn’t quit! It is up to us to help find a cure to beat it!

So when it comes to writing another fundraising letter or climbing one more hill, it is these images I think of that keep me riding the PMC. I mentioned earlier that the PMC was a cathartic experience for me when my father died, still to this day; I receive more from the PMC and PHAT Tuesday than I could ever give!

Fred – www.pmc.org/fp0008

PS: I understand some people reading this, may not recognize the names, but I hope the essence of my thoughts are conveyed.

Fund Raising Total

As of 7/22, Team PHAT Tuesday's fundraising total todate: $72,931.77

That's roughly 73% of goal of $100,000.

You can help raise that bar with a donation. Please visit www.pmc.org/tp0049.

Team PHAT Tuesday thanks you for your support!

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The PHATs met Elle

PHAT Tuesday had their team BBQ on Sunday 7-19. It was a perfect day. A group of about 16 PHATs participated in the Climb To The Clouds that morning. We did the 60 mile route. There was plenty of climbing and some great team camaraderie. We were very happy our teammate Mark was able to come up from Virginia to be with us.

The ride was a lot of fun. This is essentially the final "big" training ride before the Pan Mass Challenge. All did well. Now it was time to feast and enjoy the day. We met for our team BBQ. We were all looking forward to it as we were going to meet our 2009 pedal partner Elle and her family.

Elle is loaded with personality. She was a bit reserved when she first arrived having not known anyone there. She was a little intimidated by Melanie, the enthusiastic yellow lab. Well, it didn't take long before Elle was in the pool swimming with Melanie and others. She was very proud of herself as she exclaimed "hey, I'm swimming by myself". I guess this was a first and we were happy to share that with her and her family.

Ethan, one of our past pedal partners was also able to join us. Ethan is 5 now. He was barely 1 when we met him and at the time he was a very sick little boy. It was so cool to see him now. He's another really great kid. Not a shrinking violet either. He was right in there mixing it up with everyone and having a blast.

It was a great day and fantastic to meet Elle and her family. Pedal partners are very important to our team. It helps us all to connect with the Pan Mass Challenge on a level that's very hard to explain. It puts a face on what we're doing and it makes us all feel very fortunate to be able to get to know thes very cool little people and their families. I hope the families get as much out of it as we do.

The Pan Mass is less than two weeks away and there's still time to help. Visit our team fundraising page at http://www.pmc.org/profile/TP0049 and please make a donation if you can.

Elle Update

New update from Elle's carepage...

The date has been set for Elle's biopsy - next Friday, July 24th. Elle will go in at 7AM. The plan is to pull several samples from one lung; we don't know which side the surgeon has decided on yet. It will be a minimally invasive procedure, but we do not know if Elle will have to stay overnight in the hospital or not.

As indicated in the last update, this biopsy is the only way to determine what the stuff that's showing on the CT scan really is. Of course, we're hoping that it's all scar tissue and/or dead tumor remains. Please continue to pray for that. Thanks!

Pedal Partner Update - Elle B.

This is the latest post on Elle's carepage....

We have returned from a vacation at Grandma's house in Pittsburgh where, unfortunately, internet access is about as readily available as it was in 1989.

As many of you have already heard by other, more traditional means of communication, Elle's recent scan showed something is still in her lungs. It might be live tumor. It could just as well be scar tissue. All the doctors can tell us right now is that whatever "it" is, it has not been growing or spreading - but it hasn't been disappearing, either. There is no way to tell what it is other than by pulling some of it out and examining it, so Elle will get a biopsy sometime towards the end of this month. The exact date is yet to be determined.

We will post an update when the biopsy date is set. Meanwhile, please continue to remember Elle in your prayers. Thanks so much for your support!

Fund Raising Update

July 14th - Team PHAT Tuesday's fundraising total today: $64,015.06

21 years...

21 years. Wow, it's hard to believe I rode my first Pan Mass Challenge 21 years ago. A lot has changed. One thing has remained constant. Cancer is still with us unfortunately though there have been great strides made since then.

21 year ago it was my son's first birthday (he got over it). It was 1989. We were all so much younger...

How did I get here? How did I get involved with the PMC? I'd love to say it was all for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Sure I had people in my life affected by Cancer. I was well aware of the Jimmy Fund. That just wasn't the path that lead me here.

It all started at a bar (what doesn't). My friend Turk and I were talking with others that had ridden the 1988 PMC. That year was brutally hot all weekend long. All were talking about how tough it was and how much fun it was. I was not a hard core cyclist. The people we were with ranged from licensed racers to "average everyday people". After a few beers Turk and I got into it with one of them and needless to say our challenge was out there. We figured if these people could do it then so could we. We'd need a bike first...

Sure I had a bike back then but it was the Raleigh Record I had as a kid. It was a tank. I'd still ride it a few miles here and there. It was time to go out and get my first real "nice road bike". It cost a whopping $400. I couldn't imagine spending more on a bicycle. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. So now that I had this cool road machine it was time to train. Oh yeah, I also had to get a helmet. Helmets, who wore them back then? It was required by the PMC if we were going to ride so I purchased one. Man these things were goofy looking. OK, now we had helmets and bikes and we were ready to roll.

The first training rides were about 15 miles long. This was hard! How the heck were we going to ride 200 miles in two days? Oh yeah, we realized we should probably get some of those funny looking spandex shorts too. People said they were comfy and to ignore how they looked. We were styling now.

We trained during our lunch hour. We rode on weekends. We got up to doing 30 mile rides. It was still hard... Our final training culminated with a long ride. It was 40 miles from Easton to Marlborough to work. Yeah, we were ready.

That first Pan Mass was filled with pain, rain, fun, and all sorts of new experiences. The first 85 miles it was a torrential downpour. Then the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. Our first time at the Mass Maritime Academy post day 1 was incredible. Here were 700 people all having just ridden 112 miles in the rain and eventually heat and they were all smiling and having fun. We ate, drank, and got to sleep early. We wondered how we were going to get back on that machine the next morning. Let me tell you something, it wasn't easy. We did it though. We learned the cape is not flat. We met new friends. We accomplished something that seemed impossible to us. We learned a lot about what this event was really about. What started as a bar challenge ended up as something far more than I could have ever imagined. "I got it". I realized why 700 cyclists would ride through some of the worst weather that summer had. It was all about the kids. It was all about the people battling all types of Cancer. It was all about helping to find a cure. It was about this group of amazing people all working together. I was hooked.

The fund raising minimum was $700 that year. The PMC's goal was $700,000 total. We raised 1 million dollars! Wow, I was part of something that just raised a boatload of money. I had decided I would do it the following year but had no idea how we'd beat that number.

The following year we got organized. "Team Roadent" was formed. Turk and I met these guys known as the "B-Czar B-Stees" our first year and we thought it would be cool to form our own team. Teams didn't really exist back then for the PMC. Our team brought in 18-20 riders from Stratus Computer. We held bake sales to raise money for the team. We trained as a team. We had a lot of fun. Most of that team no longer ride the event. I'm still there. My B-Stee friends ended up being my team after a bout 7 years with "Team Roadent". Being part of the B-Stees was a lot of fun. At times it was very controversial too. Look for a future blog entry on this (though there's no way one entry will cover it all...)

Anyway, back to the beginning. It was 1990 and I was training for my second PMC. I was riding home from work one day when I met Tim Brightman. We both stopped at a traffic light. Noticed the PMC shirts and started chatting. We saw each other at my second, his 3rd PMC. We'd run into each other over the years and eventually started riding together. I was eventually training more and more with this team known as PHAT Tuesday. I figured it was time to join up with them officially. I'm still an honorary B-Stee and there'll always be a part of me that's a B-Stee. However these days I'm proud to be PHAT! My PHAT team and extended team are about the best people I know. We bring 20 cyclists to the event and many more that train with us during the season. The extended PHAT family is made up of pedal partners, past and present. It includes our families. It's tough to really put into words but what started as a small team by Tim and some others has grown into one of the best and most recognized team in the event. At least we like to think so.

21 years. My son will turn 21 this year soon after the event. My daughter who wasn't born when I started riding the PMC is 17 and she volunteers for the PMC on the weekend of the event along with my wife and other family members. Most of the people I started riding with no longer ride for one reason or another. However a lot of the people I met way back then still do and are part of my PMC family. One thing is constant. The first weekend of August every year you will find me out there riding in the Pan Mass Challenge. I will continue to do this as long as I'm healthy enough to ride and as long as Cancer is still with us.

21 years. These days I spend far more on a pair of wheels than I did on an entire bike back then. Fund raising minimum for me is $6000 but I strive for more. I hit a lifetime fundraising achievement of $100,000 last year. This is something I'm very proud of. These days a short training ride for me is 30 miles, typical is 50-60 miles.

21 years. What a long strange trip it's been but I wouldn't change a thing.

Hate Cancer? Please help to end it by donating to my fund raising. Donate securely at https://www.pmc.org/egifts//makeadonation.asp?EgiftID=BS0011

Teammate Profile - Donna Kleinman

Why I do the PMC...

In 1992 my husband, Sam, of 11 years was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. We had been married 11 years and were raising our 5 year old son Jason. Sam had lost his first wife to cancer many years earlier, so he knew all too well what was in store for him. Despite a not so good prognosis, Sam opted for the all the treatments, surgery was not an option, so chemo and radiation began. We spent the next 3 years trying to live a normal life.

Sam was in and out of the hospital over the duration, had many times when he was well enough to carry on, be a husband and father. We continued to travel, spend time with friends and family and he continued to work when he could, but as the years went by those days become fewer and fewer and eventually the cancer spread and the prognosis was not good. He was in a lot of pain, but never spoke about it. Jason and he would watch football together and that is probably my son’s best memory.

I will never forget Sam and the many wonderful memories and life we lived. I am so grateful for those years even though they were fewer than what should have been. My son Jason reminds me a lot of Sam and in many ways he lives on in Jason.

On August 23, 1995 Sam lost his fight. Crossing the finish line in Provincetown is my ongoing tribute to Sam, and all those who are faced with this diagnosis. My hope is that my son and many others will never lose another loved one to cancer and be spared the pain and sadness that he once did as a little boy.

I continue to ride in his memory but in addition I now ride for all those I know who have survived…my friend s Renee, Anne, Pam …and the fact that the circle called “LIVING PROOF” grows larger every year.

This August, I will be riding my 9th Pan-Mass Challenge.

Donna (Marie Rose) Kleinman

You can support Donna at www.pmc.org/dk0056

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Fundraising Update

July 6th - Team PHAT Tuesday's fundraising total today: $55,796.56 ...

You can add to this total and help us fight Cancer by donating to the team or your favorite member of the PHAT's...

visit www.phattuesday.org/phatriders for a team list..

We thank you for your support!

Team Profile

Team PHAT Tuesday Profile


In the spring of 1997, Kevin and Deb Robbins along with Fred Paine did a St. Jude charity ride from what is now the Boston Sports Club in Franklin. On the return ride to Milford, the talk was all about the roads they had ridden earlier in the day. The following week Kevin went to PMC Headquarters and received a list of PMC riders in the Franklin-Milford area and sent out invitations to do this route as a weekly training ride. The first year riders were Kevin and Deb Robbins, Fred Paine, Tim Brightman, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Marc Mann and Deb (Kickstand) Hill. Today each of the original PHATs remain active in the PMC and Team PHAT Tuesday. The average age of members is 47 years old and has ridden an average 14 years. To date, the PHAT Tuesday team members have raised over $1 million dollars for the PMC and its lifesaving effort to find a cure for cancer.

Several years later the start point was moved to its current location at the Jefferson – Remington School to accommodate the growing number of riders for a safer start/finish point. Today the weekly ride attracts 40-50 riders of varying abilities.

In 2001 after much debate about a team name, PHAT Tuesday became an official PMC Team. We needed to become an official team in order to participate in the Jimmy Fund Pedal Partner program, which matches a Jimmy Fund patient with a PMC Team. PHAT Tuesday members have their own very special reason for riding. The Pedal Partner creates a common reason and purpose to ride. Each year we have been matched with a different Pedal Partner. Each one has added to the experience of the PMC. We get to see first hand the lives we touch and the difference our efforts make on a daily basis.

The Pan Mass Challenge and PHAT Tuesday is not just an annual event but a life style and year round commitment.

To support Team PHAT Tuesday’s efforts visit http://www.pmc.org/tp0049

Marty's PMC Story, Pt. II - More Reasons to Ride...

Earlier this season I posted my PMC story here. I talked about a classmate of mine from high school who battled with cancer and passed away within a year after graduating.

Since I’ve started this journey, (and even before), I have learned (and continue to learn) how cancer has affected other people that I know:

• Right before my 20th High School reunion I reconnected with a good friend from school who wasn’t going to be attending. His reason: his wife had just recently passed away from cancer and he needed to be home with his 7 year old son.
• I’ve also learned about another classmate whose family has been battling Multiple Myeoloma (blood cancer).
• I learned through FaceBook that someone I dated briefly is a cancer survivor.
• I also reconnected with a former college roommate who has just recently been battling Multiple Myeoloma.

Just recently, my step-father was diagnosed with Renal Cancer. Luckily they think they caught it in time. He is currently waiting to schedule a date to remove his kidney.

Marty
http://www.pmc.org/MM0373

Fundraising Update - $49,832.56

June 30th - Total Team PHAT Tuesday fundraising update: $49,832.56

Thank you for your support!

Big Scan Coming Up

An update from our Pedal Partner Elle's care page.

On Monday, Elle will get the big post-treatment CT scan that we've been waiting for. Depending on the results she will either be started on another course of treatment, have a biopsy, or be declared cured and have her IV port removed. Naturally, we are hoping for the latter.

I don't think I have to stress any further how important this is. Please join us in a prayer push for Elle this weekend. Just ask for the scan to show no evidence of disease. Thanks so much!

Teammate profile - Kevin Robbins

Kevin and his wife Debbie are ardent supporters of the Pan Mass Challenge and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. One of the originals of the group, here is Kevin’s story in his own words…

I rode my first PMC in 1992 with Deb’s brother Tom after our brother- in- law Kevin was diagnosed with lung cancer. My sister Karen was already a 16 year survivor of breast cancer and my Grandmother died from colon cancer at the young age of 54. I saw the PMC as way to fight back. My brother in law lost his battle a few months after my first ride. My Father was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 1994. That same year my wife Deb joined me in riding. We rode several memorable PMC’s on a tandem.

Over the next few years several other family members and friends heard the words “You have cancer”. Some have fought and won their battle against cancer while for others the outcome has not been as good. Treatments that were in the developmental stage when I began riding are now used on a daily basis saving countless lives.

In February of 2009, my mother underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumor blocking her colon. Although, they were able to remove the tumor the cancer had metastasized to other organs. On April 8th my, Mom lost her battle passing peacefully surrounded by family. During my 18 years of riding my Mother was my biggest supporter extremely proud of what we were doing. The last check she wrote was to the PMC for my 2009 ride. This years training and ride will be very special for me. Each turn of the pedals are dedicated to her memory.

www.pmc.org/kr0006

Fundraising Update - $41,243

June 23rd - Total Team PHAT Tuesday fundraising update: $41,243

Elle's Final Treatment

Today our Pedal Partner, Elle, received her last chemo treatment. We thought Tuesday was her final treatment. Kevin, Marc, Scott & Tim went into the Jimmy Fund Clinic, but, Elle had already been there gone. She was told that they had to "stay on schedule" and administer the final round on Thursday. Unfortunately only Scott & Tim could make return trip.

Elle had already completed her treament and was playing in the play room with her sisters. We sat with Elle's mom and grandmother and chatted for 30-45 minutes.

Elle liked the stuff Wally the green monster Kevin had picked out. She was quite happy with it whan she pulled it out of the bag. We also gave her a PHAT Tuesday pin. That didn't get as much attention.

It was a nice day all around. Let's keep Elle in our thoughts!

Fundraising Update

Total Team PHAT Tuesday fundraising update: $36,268

PHATs ride "Tim's Ride" - 55 miles

Saturday - June 13: A group of 11 or so riders enjoyed another picture perfect New England day for riding. Called "Tim's" ride because Tim scheduled this ride annually for about 12 years, calling it the "Get Acquainted ride". "Tim's ride" is just easier and we like easy.
Starting in Franklin at the High School, the ride travels 55 miles through.... Franklin, Medway, Holliston, Sherborn, Dover, Westwood, Walpole, Medfield, Norfolk and back to Franklin. (See map at bottom.)

The group was Tim, Fred, Maryellen, Marc, Donna K. , Kevin R., Andrea, Joel, Jamie, Tina & Shelley.

The group hit the road at 8am. We soon picked up Len, a rider from Franklin, out for a 25 mile ride. We didn't know Len, but invited him to join us... on our 55 mile ride. 30 miles into the ride in Dover, Len realize he was committed. The group made a stop at Maryellen brother in Westboro. We thought about quitting there on the patio next to the pool. Joel even took a plunge. But, after a longer than normal stop, we moved on.

This was a group ride. I.e. nobody gets dropped. We wait and regroup occasionally at turning points. We stick together as a team. Typical PHAT Tuesday. We support each other. It's how the PHATs do it. We finished as a group around 12:15pm

You can support PHAT Tuesday at www.pmc.org/tp0049

PS: As it turned out Franklin was holdings annual Relay For Life this day. Congratulations to all who participated in this great event!

Gray PHAT Ride

Gray Ride @ Dam

Gray Ride @ Dam, originally uploaded by Team PHAT Tuesday PMC.

The weather was iffy at best. It wasn't raining, but it wasn't "not raining". Sort of heavy misting. About 15 intrepid riders showed up for this cold, raw, Tuesday evening ride.

As you can see from the picture, it was a lovely, late spring day here in New England ;-)

The PMC runs rain or shine, so I guess it doesn't make much sense to only train in perfect weather...

Marty

Fund Raising Update

Total Team PHAT Tuesday fund raising update: $33,553.

King of the Quabbin ride

Sunday, June 7 - A group of PHATs & PHAT PHriends took on the King of the Quabbin metric century. A challenging ride in the area of the Quabbin Reservoir. Although you never see the reservoir on metric century loop. The ride is hosted by the 7 Hills Wheelmen.

It was fabulous day to ride. The weather could not have been better. Not too hot. Quite a bit of tree cover, so the sun was not over bearing. The ride starts with 2 mile decent then is relatively flat for another 8 miles. We averaged 19+ MPH for the first 10 miles. That quickly dropped when we hit the first hill. We stayed as a group throughout the ride. Stopping every so often to regroup. We did "loose" Joy or should I say she dropped us. Unfortunately she missed a turn but still finished the ride 15- 20 before the group. She was still smiling when we finished.

The ride turned out to be 60 miles, with an average speed of 15+ MPH and roughly 4,000 ft of climbing. (Maryellen smiled her way up every one of them. )

Have a good week.

Team PHAT Tuesday

www.pmc.org/tp0049

PHAT Tuesday Night at Cole's Tavern

Join us for an evening of Jazz, Blues and 'Rock & Roll' featuring "HoneyMac"!

$10 donation at the door goes towards Team PHAT Tuesday's Fund Raising goal for the Pan Mass Challenge.

The Agenda for the evening:

• A jazz/blues set around 8:30 to 9:30
• Red Sox Raffle!
• A dance / rock set from 10:00 to 12:00.

In between music sets we will be raffling off a pair of Red Sox tickets:

7/29/09, 7:05 PM Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics Right field box; Sec 8; Box 94; Row BB; Seats 11 & 12 Face Value $45 each.

1 chance for $10, 3 for $25.

Add this event to your calendar:

• PHAT Tuesday Night at Cole's Tavern Event Page on FaceBook.
• PHAT Tuesday Night at Cole's Tavern Event on Google Calendar (iCal format).

About HoneyMac

The band is called "HoneyMac". HoneyMac is a local band that perform a wide variety of jazz standards, blues, and pop music and have played venues such as, Fenway Park EMC Club, MIT Presidential Inauguration Gala, Boston Sheraton - Steppin' Out opening for Oleta Adams, Ryles and more. HoneyMac will be joined by special guest vocalist Ramsey Kurdi and guitarist Stefan Iris from the Walkin' Blues Band that is playing this summer at the New England Blues Festival.

• http://www.myspace.com/honeymacjazz
• http://www.walkin-blues.com/

About Cole's Tavern

Cole's Tavern combines a wide selection of beer, wine & spirits. Delicious food made-to-order. And a relaxed environment filled with great people and unique artifacts to create the perfect atmosphere for a one of a kind neighborhood Bar and Grill nestled off Washington Street in Franklin, MA. Our tavern features large HD screen plasma TVs, live entertainment, outdoor courtyard and large deck, bocce court and other outside games. We have something for everyone. Gather your friends and come see us for a memorable night of laughter, steaming food, and refreshing beverages.

PHAT Tuesday Night at UNO's!

PHAT Tuesday Every Thursday @ Pizzera UNO's in June!

PHAT Tuesday on Thursday = Pizza & More!

Team PHAT Tuesday has partnered with the Pizzeria UNO Resturant in Bellingham, MA as part of UNO's "A Tasty Way to Raise Dough" community partnership program.

If you go to the Pizzeria UNO's in Bellingham, MA (think Home Depot...) on any Thursday in June (4/11/18/25) and present this coupon, Pizzeria UNO will donate up to 20% of the check to TEAM PHAT Tuesday. All of which will go towards the Pan Mass Challenge.

UNO Dough Rai$ers

http://www.unodoughraisers.com

Uno is proud to support the local communities it serves with our hugely popular Dough Rai$ers program. To date, we've donated more than $2.5 million to deserving organizations!

Here's the Scoop (or slice): Host a lunch, dinner or both at your local Uno and earn up to 20% of sales generated from guests who eat at Uno to support the cause.

Intro please...

With 2 months to go to this year's Pan Mass Challenge, we'd like to introduce you to our team a little more.

Team PHAT Tuesday is group of individuals with a hope that, in some small way, we can help find a cure for cancer by raising much needed funds for cancer research and treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston by way of the Pan Mass Challenge. The most successful athletic fund raising event in the country.

PHAT Tuesday is not just a group of cyclists who ride the Pan Mass Challenge. We are people who have lost loved ones to cancer. We are Cancer survivors. We are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons & daughters. We are you! We are the pedal partner we "adopt" each year. (And never let go.)

If you have joined us here, YOU are PHAT. We hope you realize how special that is to US! We take great pride in representing YOU in the fight against cancer.

Our group started with 6 or 7 riders about 12 years ago. Meeting in Franklin to train for the PMC. We formally became "PHAT Tuesday" in 2001.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will introduce you to some of your teammates, fill you in on our training rides and keep you informed about PHAT Tuesday's fund raising effort.

We hope you enjoy our updates. Feel free to invite others to join our PHan club, post comments or just follow our journey.

You can also visit our PMC page at http://www.pmc.org/tp0049 or our home page at http://www.phattuesday.org

Welcome to our PHamily!

First Purgatory Ride of the Season

Saturday, 5-30-09 - A group of 9 headed out to Purgatory Chasm from Hopkinton Common. Perfect weather for a nice little climb. The name "Purgatory" scares some people off. We had a couple thinking that this was not within their realm of riding ability. They were proven wrong. All rode strong and all did well. One of the memorable moments for me came when Maryellen got to the top and said "hey wait, is that it? I thought we didn't get to the climb yet." Now for those of you reading this you should understand that this was after climbing for about gradual 5 miles. It's not that steep but it is steady and up.

We started in to the Chasm on our way to the ranger station to get some water and use the facilities when all of a sudden we heard the dreaded sound of a tire going flat. Bob's tube let go. Lucky it wasn't when we were descending out of there. No worries though, we pulled off the road along came "Bicycle Repairman"... (Marc) He had that tire changed in no time though he's not as quick as the original "Bicycle Repairman" - Joel. However this was a quality repair complete with a used GU wrapper to protect the tube from popping through the tire's slice. Hey Bob, don't forget to put the new tires on...

We regrouped at the ranger station and headed out. The return loop had some roads that were in poor shape. My GPS kept shutting off. I assume it's due to the bug in the Garmin related to the battery not being as securely seated as it needs to be. If that were the only problem it wouldn't have been bad. When we got back to the common took my iPhone out of my bike bag and discovered the glass was broken. Yes, it was in a hard case but there was nothing covering the glass unfortunately. I think the swiss army knife in the bag must have smashed down on it while riding on the bumpy roads. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now but warn those of you with similar phones to make sure they're protected if you plan on putting them in your bike bag while riding.

That's it for now. For the first Purgatory ride of the season I'm really proud of how well everyone did. Heck, the pace was on a par with some mid - late season Purgatory rides. The PHATs are on their way to some great conditioning.

Next up... The King's Tour of the Quabbin Reservoir ride...

New Member Introduction - Marty

Hello, I'm Marty

I have been riding with the PHAT Tuesday Tuesday evening rides since June 2007. I've only gotten back into cycling in 2002, and I bought my road bike off of eBay in late 2004. Before that I weighed ~220 lbs.

I did my first, long distance, multi day ride back in June/July of 2006. Myself and 3 friends rode from High Point, NJ to Cape May, NJ. My friend Mike had designed the Route for NJDOT. (His job is to design bike routes, how cool is that?)

It was just the 4 of us. No support vehicle. We UPS'd our stuff to a hotel in Egg Harbor, NJ and our families picked us up in Cape May. We traveled real light. Well, you can read more if you want in the blog I set up for that ride (http://www.martinator.com/bikenj)

The Pan Mass Challenge

I heard about the Pan Mass Challenge and thought how cool it would be to do that. Then I saw it ride through Franklin in 2006. Ever since then I had wanted to ride it. This year I finally signed up.

The thought of a 2 day, ~200 mile ride exictes me. However, as much as the ride itself excites me, it has to be about more than a 2 day bike ride. So that made me think: "How has Cancer affected me in my life?" On the surface, I've been very lucky, but the more I thought about it, well, read for yourself in the reposting of My PMC Story below:

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My PMC Story

Why am I riding the Pan Mass Challenge?

As a cyclist, the draw of a two-day ride with a few thousand people is something that attracts me. Cycling is such a solo sport, yet when riding with a group; it takes on a whole new experience. There is something about being part of a big mass of people with a single purpose and goal that is an experience that I wish to partake in.

But this ride has to be more than just about cycling to me. I guess I can call myself lucky because cancer hasn't touched me personally, or has it?

So I ask myself, "Really, how has cancer affected my life?"

The more I reflect on it,the more I realize that there are a lot of people only one or two degrees away from me who have struggled with, survived, or didn't survive their bout with Cancer. A number of family members, friends, neighbors, classmates, and colleagues of mine have had bouts with cancer either directly or indirectly. One, in particular comes to mind. Let's call him "X".

In High School, there was a classmate of mine, "X", who struggled with cancer during our senior year of high school. I'm not sure how to describe our relationship. He was not exactly a friend. In fact he was a bit of a bully to me during our freshman year. I distinctly remember one time while he was bullying me, he said in a somewhat respectful way, "You know kid, you're pretty tough." "Gee thanks..." is what I remember sarcastically thinking.

Junior year rolls around and the Gym teacher suggests that I try out for the Cross Country team. I do. "X" is on the team. No big deal as he has not really been a bully to me since freshman year. I practiced with the team. Then came the time for me to run my first cross country race. I sucked big time. However, even though I was sucking, the varsity members of the team, "X" being one of them, were cheering me on. Now these were people who had not given me the time of day during high school. Yet since I was at least trying to run this race (where I got stung by 5 bees and got so lost I did not make it to the finish line...), I was at least getting support from these people as part of the team. Cool. However I still quit the team later that week as Cross Country Running simply was not my thing.

Later that year I joined the track team. My events were the 100, 200, 400 and the long jump. None of that long distance stuff. "X" is also on the track team. One day, after practice, it was just the two of us waiting for our respective rides. He comes over to me and says, "Let's walk down to the convenience store". Now we do not normally hang out together, so I was surprised at the invitation. We do just that. We walk to the little store down the road and just hang out. A perfectly "normal moment". It was one of the few "normal moments" I had in high school, if that makes any sense.

Senior year rolls around. It's fall and while "X" is still on the Cross Country team, he is not competing. He has cancer. I have no idea what type of cancer. Other than the fact he is not competing, he looks perfectly healthy. Later on during senior year, we actually hang out together at times. However now he is bald from the chemotherapy treatments. The seriousness of his situation never hits me. I guess that's what being 17 is all about. I think it's odd that he has no desire to get a driver's license. Also, on the VHS tape of our graduation ceremony, when asked about his future, he casually mentions that he is taking a year off (96% of the class has college plans). After graduation everybody parts ways and moves on. Such is life.

During the later part of my freshman year at college, I get a call from my best friend Mike.

"X is dead."

Damn. He died from the cancer that had manifested itself throughout his body. It was quite a shock to be 18 and have personally known somebody, a peer, who died of cancer. Later that spring, after the colleges had let out for the summer, there was a memorial service at the high school. Just about our entire class was there along with his family members. It was hard to believe someone so young was now gone, but not forgotten.

Why did I use "X" as his name?

Well, because it was really his nickname. When I do this ride, I will be thinking of how Xavier Yepez's life was cut way too short by cancer.

PHAT Tuesday Walks for Jake...

The third grade class of our 2008 pedal partner Jake Maguire organized a "Walk for Jake" this morning in Wrentham at the King Phillip Regional High School.  It was an amazing turnout.  I was blown away to see how the Wrentham community came out to support the Maguire family.  It was truly amazing to see so many join together.

Personally I was very proud at the turnout we got from the PHAT Tuesday team.  We heard about this event in email yesterday and in true PHAT form there were 10 of us that showed up this morning.  Some of us ran and some of us walked.  But we all showed up and had a good time for a great cause!