Thousands of cyclists take off in the 44th Pan-Mass Challenge
BOURNE - More than 6,000 cyclists began their ride Saturday in the 44th Pan-Mass Challenge, taking off on the 211-mile ride to raise money for cancer research.
"I want to give back to Dana-Farber, effectively," said rider Josh Fenollosa. "It did a lot for my son, I had my father, who passed away from prostate cancer, and a brother who passed away with a brain tumor." His son, Henry, was born with cancer and began chemotherapy when he was just one day old. He joined his father for the ride this year.
"Honestly, just keep fighting. It's such a cliche and it's such an easy thing to say but even though I've beat cancer, I feel like a lot of times, through my daily life, I just have to keep fighting."
"To be here, and look around, and you see so many families and everybody has their own story. And to have everybody come together, we have friends who have been riding with us from the beginning," said Catherine Fenollosa.
Five-year-old Evelyn Dubowik, who has a form of leukemia, came with her family to cheer on the riders.
"Seeing the support that's here, just the outreach that's here, you guys getting the message out, it's huge. This is huge to our family and all the families here. This is incredible," said Jake Dubowik.
WBZ TV is a proud media partner of the Pan-Mass Challenge. Click here for more information on how to donate and to meet other people riding this year.
