Mark Porter's letter of solicitation

Enjoy the Journey of life

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Dear Friends and Family:

This is the fourth time that I have written a letter of solicitation. For those who know me all too well, you were expecting this and I thank you for opening this up once again. For those of you that are receiving this for the first time, I want to thank you in advance for hearing me out.

Each year I write this letter it is for all the previous reasons but in turn each year takes on new importance. We have achieved our previous goals, but since last year I have personally lost both friends and family to cancer. Here we are again, starting at the bottom. We have a whole new set of reasons and a whole new list of people that we want to honor and help. In reality we are in a constant battle with this fight that never stops. It may not be at your door step, but it is definitely knocking on someone else’s door, or God forbid, it may affect you in the future. All of you have been a tremendous help in this battle -- with both financial and mental inspiration. And for that I thank you.

As many of you know, March 1, 2005 was the day that I was introduced to cancer on a personal level. I was diagnosed with large cell type A non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While recovering I realized that someone else had provided me with the care that would ultimately get me back on the road of recovery -- hopefully for a long and healthy life with my family and friends.

Each year the hospital matches me with a patient partner which is great form of inspiration for me. This year my patient partner’s name is Ricky Hoffman. Ricky turned eleven years old on December 9th. My previous three partners were in various stages of recovery which was inspirational and uplifting. Bearing this in mind when I made the initial call to Ricky’s parents to introduce myself, my mind set was that “all was rosy”. Like the previous three times, I was prepared to meet an eleven year old boy on his way to full recovery. But when I talked to his mother I almost fainted. She told me that Ricky had a rare form of brain cancer that was terminal. I was speechless. For those of you that know me, this is a rare occurrence. It took me almost two weeks to call them back. It was a little bit easier for me then as I was more prepared for the conversation, but as you can imagine Ricky and his family’s situation had not changed. They were blessed with another Christmas and New Year together. Presently Ricky has again been diagnosed with cancer and his battle starts all over and like before both Ricky and his parents are thankful that Dana farber are in their corner doing all that they can to make sure the Ricky has the best care possible and that they as parents make many fond memories that will last them for many years to come of the strength and courage of their son, and the dedication of Dana Farber

I think of Ricky while I am running in the rain, snow, cold and even when I think of the long roads that are ahead of me. I feel genuinely privileged to be associated with such a strong and motivated young man. All my roads seem to be down hill in comparison to the up hill road that Ricky does every day with style and determination.

Last year was the first year that I ran for Dana Farber. It was truly an amazing experience from the start when all the Dana Farber runners first met. We exchanged stories -- both happy and sad which bonded us as a team of hope for the future. With every step from Hopkinton to Copley Square the spectators were like a human conveyor belt, urging us on. One particular instance that touched me was at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Walnut Street in Newton at the John Kelley statue. With the statue overlooking me, I was bitching and moaning about the hill ahead (the start of “Heartbreak Hill”). If you can imagine me running/walking in full blown conversation with myself convincing myself that not only was the hill ahead short, but basically flat. Then I noticed an older woman on the side egging me on. She was thanking me for running for Dana Farber and told me she was a cancer survivor. Thanks to Dana Farber she was able to stand there doing her part to help the cause that had saved her life by encouraging the runners up “Heartbreak Hill”. At that moment, this lady was the angel that I needed and she exemplified what an impact Dana Farber has had. This one small gesture was just one example of the experience that I had as a runner wearing the Dana Farber shirt. I firmly believe that the experience of the journey from start to finish is something that is different every year but nonetheless rewarding and inspirational -- and hopefully will continue for many years to come.

I have been dealing with cancer for over four years. I have learned to look at life much differently. I do not take life for granted any more being it was a gift to get the second chance. Life is a journey that we all take. Most do not see it as a journey but more like a trip with a destination. Like every trip, we want to get to our destination as fast as possible -- only to find out when we get there how much that we have missed on the trip. The beauty of a journey is the memories that we create, share or experience, while we are on it. It is those memories we share that touch the lives of those that we will leave when we reach the end of the journey.

My recovery was due to the hard work and dedication of past generations of Bostonians who both encouraged the doctors and researchers and helped them further their work with much needed funds. In keeping with this, I am writing once again to encourage you to give generously to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Boston so that others can benefit from the same kind of excellent care that I have experienced. As with any such journey there will be some good news and some bad news along the way. The good news is that in the last three years, we have raised approximately $90,000.00 together – a fantastic amount! The bad news is the economy and each previous year we have been able to beat our previous amount, with last year reaching over $30,000.00. Cancer unlike the economy does not get to have a good year. It is always the worst word that a doctor can say to his patient or the last word that a patient wants to hear. Due to your financial help and Dana Farber’s unending care and ground breaking research, these words have been more bearable for both the patient and their families to hear. Your contribution will help ensure that patients will continue to receive the best medical care possible and that cancer patients around the world will benefit from the groundbreaking research performed at Dana Farber everyday. Our hope is that one day, other families may not have to face the suffering and sadness that cancer patients and their families endure on a daily basis. By giving generously to support this amazing cause, we can truly help the families and patients that depend on Dana Farber to enjoy long and happy lives together.

To accomplish this, I am asking you to help me support the patient care and research missions of Dana Farber. With your contribution, you have the ability to improve the lives of many cancer patients and their families -- for generations of Bostonians.

Live life today being tomorrow may not come as planned.

On behalf of myself, my family and the many families that we don’t know,
Thanks’ for sharing my story
Thanks for all you inspiration
Lastly I thank you for your support.

With best regards,
Mark
Mark Porter
415 Belmont Street
Quincy, Massachusetts 02170
(617)-984-2666
jmpgc@aol.com

or my Boston Marathon site at
http://www.rundfmc.org/markp2009