Pan-Mass Challenge Riders Hit Massachusetts Roads For A Good Cause
BOURNE (CBS) - The rain didn't dampen the spirit of thousands of cyclists who braved the wet weather to kick off the Pan Mass Challenge on Saturday.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Troy Brown was among riders participating in the two-day race.
"You can sit back and do nothing, or you can sit back and you can peddle and ride these miles out," Brown told WBZ-TV.
On this day, his biggest fan is 6-year-old Cion Byrne.
Cion's family got involved in the Pan Mass Challenge four years ago when their son was diagnosed with a very rare form of liver cancer. He was two.
"It was a struggle every day, watching your child suffer and wondering, was this going to be the cure? Was he going to be OK?" said his mother, Sarah Byrne.
The chemotherapy permanently damaged his hearing. But today, Cion is happy and in remission.
"To see a celebrity or ex-NFL player do it, they see that people do care," Byrne said.
Not every cyclist is famous, but they all make a difference.
Evan Hecker said he rides for his son Nathan, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor six years ago. He raises money for Dana Farber.
The hospital created a trial drug to treat a tumor like his son's.
When it started growing again last fall, Nathan was the first child to be put in the trial.
"We are six months in and it's working," Hecker said. "For the first time in six years, his tumor has shrunk."
Like he did last year, Nathan was there to cheer his Dad on.
"It's really special to me, because kids with cancer need medicine so they can get better," Nathan Hecker said.