Beach cancer doctor rides for patient cause
Dr. William Harwin is a Fort Myers-based medical oncologist who has many patients from Fort Myers Beach. His beliefs on fighting cancer are evident through the fund-raising commitment he has chosen for the past three years.
This weekend, Harwin will be riding in the Boston area’s 31st annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge -the nation’s most successful athletic fundraising event- to raise money for cancer research. The Aug. 6-7 event is the country’s inaugural charity bike-a-thon which has raised more than $270 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund.
Harwin, age 57, will be among the 5,000 cyclists from 36 states and eight countries who will ride a portion of the two-day, 190-mile route with the collective goal of raising $31 million to support lifesaving adult and pediatric cancer care and research through the Jimmy Fund.
As with many riders in the challenge, Harwin has a personal reason for travelling to Massachusetts for the event. He lost his wife to cancer nearly four years ago.
“My wife’s family is from Massachusetts and I’ve spent a lot of time up there,” he said. “My wife passed away from breast cancer on Dec. 1, 2006. I started to race three years ago with my wife’s sister to raise money for cancer research.”
His fund-raising efforts have yielded strong monetary results including $23,914 in 2008, $21,125 in 2009 and ///$15,546/// so far this year.
“We like to do it because it’s a fun thing to train for,” said Harwin. “The people who are there have some connection to someone they know who has or has had cancer. The money that my sister-in-law and I raise is specifically earmarked for breast cancer research.”
Harwin further stated the raised money goes to Dana Farber Cancer Institute and, specifically, Dr. Eric Winer’s work there.
“He was one of the doctors who treated my wife,” said the New York native.
While known for its signature two-day, 190-mile route, the PMC is made up of 10 different cycling routes through 46 Massachusetts communities. The various PMC routes, with varying fundraising requirements, mean anyone with a bike and determination can participate.
“The last two years I biked the longest route which is from Sturbridge to Bourne and then from Bourne to Provincetown,” said Harwin. “But, for convenience this year, my sister-in-law and I doing the shorter Wellesley to Bourne route with about 80 miles each day. The race is so well-organized, and there is such a great spirit with the cancer cause.”
Competition is not the overriding factor in this race.
“It’s more of a social ride, and there are many different teams there,” said Harwin. “It kind of fun when you see people with the same shirt. There’s also a lot of support there if anyone has a problem.”
Harwin, who rides for Team WOW, trains three to four times a week usually from his Gulf Harbour home to Summerlin Road and over the San Carlos Boulevard and Sanibel Bridge overpasses into Sanibel and around the island resort town. His main early morning route encompasses more than 50 miles of riding on his two-year-old Trek Madone 6.5.
“I get to train on hills that way,” he said.
Harwin, who has practiced oncology in Fort Myers since February of 1984, started Florida Cancer Specialists, a practice which now has six offices in Lee County as well as many more along the West Coast of Florida. He primarily works at the Summerlin-Winkler office where he has a large patient base from Sanibel and Fort Myers Beach.
“I think it’s a great cause in a difficult situation being a cancer doctor who has lost his wife to cancer,” said Harwin. “I just fell like it’s some way I can give something back and raise money for breast cancer research and do something in support of the spirit of my wife.”
About the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
PMC riders range in age from 13 to 86 years and are from all walks of life, from police officers to stay-at-home mothers to corporate CEOs. The PMC is for seasoned athletes and cycling newcomers who are unified by the single goal of raising money to fight cancer. The PMC is all about heart and soul. Doctors ride along side their patients; grandparents bike with their grandchildren; and nearly everyone rides on behalf of loved ones lost to, or battling, cancer. More than 300 riders are cancer survivors or current patients.
During PMC weekend, individual cyclists become part of one family. Thousands of supporters who cheer along the route is one reason cyclists come to Massachusetts each August to ride in the PMC. The bike-a-thon is fully supported with 3,000 volunteers who help at the water stops by serving food and water, assist with mechanical and medical issues, and luggage transportation. Lodging is also provided.
“The PMC is more than just a bike ride,” says Billy Starr, PMC founder and executive director. “It is a community of people with one unifying mission: raising money for cancer research.”
No other single athletic event raises or contributes more money to charity than the PMC. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $270 million for cancer research and care at Dana-Farber through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC gives 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund, a rate of fundraising that is nearly unequaled within the $3 billion athletic fundraising event industry. The PMC generates more than 50 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and is its largest single contributor. PMC funding is considered “seed money;” it allows researchers and doctors to finance innovative experiments and conduct initial trials to qualify for federal funding.
Two-day rides include the original 190-mile Sturbridge to Provincetown route; the 180-mile Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley route; the 163-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Provincetown route; the 153-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley route; the 157-mile Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley-Wellesley route and the 131-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley-Wellesley route. One-day riders cycle the 110-mile Sturbridge-Bourne route, the 84-mile Wellesley-Bourne route, or the 47-mile Wellesley-Wellesley Sunday loop. Cyclists are required to raise between $500 and $4,200, depending on the chosen route, yet the average PMC cyclist raises more than $6,000. This commitment to the fundraising portion of the PMC journey is a testament to riders’ dedication to the cause and their belief in the PMC mission.
The PMC is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and New Balance Foundation. To become a virtual rider, or make a financial contribution to a rider from your town, visit www.pmc.org, or call (800) WE-CYCLE. Checks can be made payable to PMC, 77 Fourth Ave., Needham, Mass. 02494.
–Amanda Kelley of Teak Media Communications in South Boston contributed to this story