On Dec. 30, 2007, after watching her father battle leukemia for two years, Heather Hobler, 53, of Mattapoisett, lost him to the disease. Within a month, she was diagnosed with cancer herself. Hobler was grieving her father as she was dealing with her own treatments for a rare form of breast cancer.
Within weeks of her diagnosis, Hobler underwent a mastectomy followed by a year of reconstructive surgeries. She was lucky in that she did not require chemotherapy or radiation. The night of her last visit to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for treatment, she saw TV news coverage of the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) check presentation, an event that celebrates the millions of dollars raised by PMC riders and supporters each year to fund adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber through the Jimmy Fund. When Hobler learned the mission of the PMC and met the people behind the organization, she knew she had found the perfect way to channel her emotions during this difficult time. She registered to ride in the annual bike-a-thon the day she endured her last surgery.
In 2009, as she began to train for the 190 mile ride as a cancer patient, Hobler knew she needed help communicating to people what she was doing in order to fundraise. She started formydadandforme, a blog through which she documents her relationship with her father, her cancer experience and the miles and dollars she has accumulated over the last four years for the PMC. Her motivation to ride and raise money for the cause is simple. She wants to honor the drive to fight cancer she and her father shared.
“PMC weekend is the most empowering and amazing experience I have ever had,” says Hobler. “It’s possible to weep, smile and bicycle at the same time. I cried the entire 190 miles my first year riding and felt an incredible sense of support from other riders, volunteers and spectators along the route. I am fully aware and heartened by all those who have supported me up to getting on my bike.”
On August 2 – 3, Hobler will ride in the 35th annual event in what will be her fifth PMC experience. She will be among more than 5,800 cyclists who will ride to raise $40 million. Although she is no stranger to the cause, this will be her first year riding with a teammate, Henry Gleason, the son of a close friend who met Hobler along the route last year and was inspired to join her ride this year. Hobler hopes to become a four-time PMC Heavy Hitter, a rider who annually raises $6,900 or more. To date, she has raised more than $30,700.
New this year, she will implement a “give to receive” fundraising strategy. She will offer her three-bedroom beachfront cottage for a week in August or September for a donation of $2,000 to her PMC campaign. Similarly, she will serve as captain and provide the use of her yacht for a six-person evening harbor cocktail cruise for donations of $300 and she will lead a private yoga sessions (she is a professional instructor) for donations of $150.
“My goal this year is the up the ante with my PMC fundraising campaign in order to show people how invested I am in the event and its mission,” says Hobler. “My doctor once told me that cancer is common and compared it to the common cold. Watching my father battle cancer and then experiencing the disease first-hand reminded me that life is a gift. I am committed to riding in the PMC to help save more lives in the future.”