Mayor To Ride in PMC in Support of Newton Resident

Newton Mayor Setti Warren will Hit the Pan-Mass Challenge course in August in honor of Newton resident Angela Palmer, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma multi forme, a form of brain cancer, in September 2011.

According to a press release, Warren will ride on Aug. 3 to raise funds for the Neuro-Oncology Department at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The funds will support the department as it conducts research and development of therapies, as well as the human trials, associated with the treatment of glioblastoma multi forme.

Warren, however, isn't the only person participating in the PMC. According to his interview in the attached YouTube video, Newton is the city that raises the most money for the PMC. 

"We're really proud here in Newton to hold on to that title and we want to continue that work," Warren said. "This is a community that gives back, that cares and that's passionate about defeating this disease and I'm proud of that." 

Palmer and her husband, Patrick, created the Angela and Patrick Palmer Research Fund for Brain Cancer at Dana-Farber in 2012 with the goal of raising $3 million over a five-year period. 

Palmer has undergone extensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment since her diagnosis. She is now awaiting the opportunity to take part in a human trial of a drug that has been shown to slow the growth of the tumor and even to kill the tumor altogether in mice.

"This is a new and exciting protocol which hopefully becomes a cure that scientists have been working diligently to find," the press release reads.

Check out the attached YouTube video to learn more about why Warren has decided to participate in this year's PMC.