The 2007 Pan Mass Challenge - August 04 - August 05, 2007

The PMC, presented by the Boston Red Sox and Overstock.com, is the nation’s original fundraising bike-a-thon and today raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. It is also the most cost efficient. With 99 cents of each dollar raised going directly to the Jimmy Fund, the PMC has contributed more than $145 million to lifesaving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since its 1980 inception. On August 4 and 5, 2007, nearly 4,000 cyclists will travel eight different routes, logging between 70 and 192 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns.

Team Kristin/KASLF*
We are riding in honor of our friend Kristin Amico Sesselman who lost her courageous battle to AML on July 1, 2000. Monies raised by our team will directly benefit the fund that bears her name, the Kristin Amico Sesselman Leukemia Foundation (KASLF), Kristin's former physician, Dr. Richard Stone, and the Dana–Farber Adult Oncology Research Fund.

The vision and mission of this Foundation sprung from Kristin's story. Kristin was beautiful, full of energy, and a scholastic athlete. She dedicated her life to working with students with special needs. But life changed instantly for Kristin on January 6, 1999 when she diagnosed with AML.

Kristin prepared for each difficult treatment as she prepared for every game she captained. Treatments, setbacks, high hopes, disappointments, prayers answered and unanswered became the backdrop of the battlefield. She believed you win some, you lose some, and you prepare for the next battle. You never give up.

Kristin's spirit helped her through seven grueling months of hospitalizations, multiple courses of chemotherapy and then finally, remission. Kristin married Patrick in July 1999 and they moved into their new home. But soon after, Kristin relapsed, endured more chemotherapy and eventually a bone marrow transplant. Kristin passed away just before her first wedding anniversary.