Dana-Farber patient riding in 19th Pan-Mass Challenge to give back, build community

Craig Berkson will ride his 19th Pan-Mass Challenge in August. He's a member of Team Family Ties, cycling friends who mean more with every passing year. "I know one of the big themes for me is seeking out things that are both rewarding and serve a sense of community," he explains.

Craig knows, better than most, the life-changing (and lifesaving) power of cancer research. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer 22 years ago, there was no treatment for the disease. His wife Staci recalls their despair. "They told me, 'There's nothing we can do. Take him home and we'll give him palliative care,'" she said. 

The diagnosis came as a shock because Craig had no symptoms and felt fine. The father of two only discovered he was sick after passing out at a party. The relatively good news, he says, is that the cancer was slow growing.  Within days of telling Craig and Staci that there was nothing they could do, doctors changed their minds and recommended surgery.  More than a year later, he began treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where he still sees his doctor for bloodwork every 28 days.

Clinical trials, surgeries

Craig has been through five clinical trials and several surgeries. He explains that the "name of the game" when there is no solid treatment is to rely on the latest trial medication to stop the tumors from growing. "A lot of what you were trying to do was just find the next thing that would extend you for some period of time so you could get to something that would keep extending you farther," he explained.

Once the tumors start growing again, advancements in care and research offer new hope. He is thankful for the care and support he's received at Dana-Farber. "The care. The nurses there. The people are always very good in terms of making you feel comfortable," he said. 

For the past five years, Craig's been on a drug called Cabozantinib which, just last year, received FDA approval. "I'm still on it. It's Cycle 71-72 at this point. It's working," he said.  

Dr. Matthew Yurgelun, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Dana-Farber, points to Craig, and patients like him, as more resilient than they realize. "Craig is the definition of somebody who's living with cancer rather than being sick from cancer," Dr. Yurgelun said.

That distinction speaks to a quality of life that's been made possible by research and discoveries. "The PMC is so instrumental in everything we do at Dana-Farber. Not just the clinical trials or the drugs we bring to patients in the clinic but also funding the research that leads us to identify—or create—these drugs in the first place," Dr. Yurgelun said.

Asked how he manages the emotional highs and lows of living with the disease, Craig answers matter-of-factly, "I'm not the emotional type," he said. "You go through it. You just have to kind of think about it and go through it and see what the next thing is. I'm not the kind to harp on it as, 'Woe is me.' You want to figure out how to treat it."

He and Staci don't take the stable periods, or Craig's ability to ride the PMC, for granted. Staci originally suggested the ride as an activity to take his mind off his illness. Now, she half-jokes, Craig "obsesses" about the weather and trains throughout the year for an event that gives them both a sense of purpose. "That we have the opportunity to support this work that results in, just, continuing to keep him going," Staci said. "I feel lucky that we have the opportunity to do that."

More than $250,000 raised for PMC

Since he started riding, Craig has raised more than $250,000 for the PMC. The physical challenge, the ability to contribute to research that he knows saves lives, and the uplifting power of the PMC community makes the annual event a priority.  He wears a rubber duck on his helmet so that Staci can identify him amid a sea of riders wearing the same jersey. "We have Duck. And now she can see Duck coming," he says as he picks up his helmet. 

Before heading out for a ride in his Framingham neighborhood, he reflects on the images of PMC Weekend he holds dear. "You're riding with a lot of people… What people don't realize until you ride it is the community that you're part of," he explains. "Even the broader community. The kids standing there with signs like 'I'm alive because of you.' You ride by that for miles. That kind of stuff is really…you're making a difference."

Riding the PMC is one of several ways Craig gives back.

Twice a month, he joins fellow volunteers at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley to prepare and package home-cooked meals for people dealing with food insecurity.  The night we visited, Craig was roasting onions for an Italian red sauce.  The meal of pasta and meatballs with a side of broccoli is ample and nutritious.  The group, which calls itself TBE Table, makes upwards of 700 meals a month.  They've delivered roughly 38,000 meals since the group formed during the COVID pandemic. 

Volunteer Bonnie Rosenberg describes the communal effort as healing. "I don't know how to fix the world. But I do know how to show up and make meals for people with food insecurity," Rosenberg said.  Craig is drawn to activities like this and the chance to join a mission with other people who care. "It's the cause and community that's important," Craig said.

Living with cancer also means not taking milestones, celebrations, and opportunities for granted.  Craig and Staci's son Michael will celebrate his second wedding anniversary on Father's Day. Thumbing through a photo album from the ceremony, Craig points out a picture in which he's holding Michael and smiling. Michael was 10 years old when Craig was diagnosed. His daughter Alyssa was seven. At the time, no one knew whether Craig would survive much beyond Michael's bar mitzvah let alone his wedding. As a family, they now look forward to Alyssa's wedding in October. "We have always tried to take the time to celebrate accomplishments and life events," Craig says.  "They've lived through a lot."

Two years ago, Craig, who hadn't sung in public since he was a kid, joined the Voices of Metro-West chorus. They sang The National Anthem at Fenway Park shortly after the Red Sox 2026 season opener in front of the Green Monster. Weeks later, they performed Broadway show tunes in front of a packed crowd in Natick.  "We have a really good time doing it," he said during intermission. "Everybody's kind of there for each other." 

Music director Ilanna Tariff describes Craig as an integral part of the ensemble. "He is a phenomenal singer, "she said. "And he makes everything more fun." The program's final number was "One Day More" from Craig's favorite play Les Misérables. "It's not the most uplifting story," he laughed, "But I just love the music."  

He stepped to the front of the stage to sing Jean Valjean's solo, his family beaming in the audience. "There's no reason to wait for things," he said. "There's never a perfect time for things. You just kind of have to go do it." Craig, who's a tenor, opens the song alone. Soon, other voices join, a community of singers, sharing their joy and talents with the world.