190 Miles For McKinley Rose

The past months have been a roller coaster for the Nicholas family, as they've struggled to bring normalcy back into their household and to their four young children, after their youngest daughter McKinley, two, was

It has been over 220 days since her bone marrow transplant and McKinley Rose is still fighting. According to parents Mark and Erica Nicholas of Georgetown, formerly of Danvers, McKinley is doing as well as can be expected after her cancer diagnosis and ensuing treatment.

But, after most of the last year spent either in the hospital or the Ronald McDonald House at Mass General, the Nicholas' have exciting news: A team is riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) in McKinley's name.  

On the weekend of August 6-7 Team Mickey will ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown in the 32nd Pan Mass Challenge. Tim Miles and Derek Jones met while participating in the event a few years ago and have been riding together ever since. While they each have their own personal reasons for riding, this year they will be wearing Team Mickey shirts. They recently presented McKinley with her own team shirt, with the Team Mickey logo and her picture on the back beside the phrase 190 Miles Powered By McKinley Rose.

The nationally recognized PMC is a three day event that draws more than 5,000 cyclists, who hail from 36 states and six countries. The 2011 goal is to raise $34 million for the Dana-Farber. Since the charity was founded more than 30 years ago by Billy Starr, who lost his mother to melanoma at the age of 49, the PMC has raised over $300 million for cancer research. It is the largest single contributor to the Jimmy Fund, bringing in nearly 50 percent of its annual revenue. 

Click Here to donate to Team Mickey and support The Pan-Mass Challenge.