By MICHELLE VISCO
WAKEFIELD — Wakefield residents, husband and wife Steve and Colleen Nixon, will be volunteering on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3 for the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon across Massachusetts that raises money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber.
The pair moved to Wakefield in 1991, right before they had their twins, Conor and Emily. They also have a daughter named Kate, who was born in 1993. Having three young children and dogs caused them to do a lot of walking, so they met a lot of neighbors just by being outside. They spent a lot of time at the Beebe Library. They stated that it was a great place to raise children, and their kids love sports, and Wakefield offers many different sports.
In past years, the duo has ridden in the PMC. Their close friend, Lisa Morrissey and her husband Bob, started the team Pedals for Pediatrics (P4P) in 2004, with a mission to ease the burden of childhood cancer with every mile ridden and every dollar raised. 20 years later, P4P has raised almost $7 million to support pediatric cancer research, program support, and direct financial assistance for patients and families receiving care at Dana-Farber/ Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Through an innovative grant process P4P has provided funding for over 75 initiatives and programs in the Jimmy Fund Clinic. Boston Children’s has supported over 50 pediatric oncologists/ scientists in pediatric cancer research, and helped countless families bear the financial burden of cancer by defraying out-of-pocket expenses such as food, transportation and housing while a child is undergoing treatment. Colleen noted that she and Steve talked about riding for a long time, but the fundraising intimidated them, so in 2021, as Colleen was approaching her 60th birthday, they decided to ride. On August 8th 2021, they completed the 1-day PMC Century Ride. Through social media and emails to friends and family, they were able to easily make their fundraising minimum. She said the ride was tough as they had never ridden 100 miles, but they got hooked. In 2022, they did the 2-day Wellesley-Ptown ride, but stayed with friends so they did not ride over the Bourne Bridge. Then in 2023, they rode again from Wellesley to Ptown and stayed at Mass Maritime and were able to see the sun come up over the Bourne Bridge. In 2024, they rode from Sturbridge to Ptown, to which Colleen calls “one of the hardest things we had ever done.”
She noted that fundraising was a stressor for them. For three years, they did a comedy show at Giggles. People were so generous with raffle items and contributed to their fundraising efforts. They had their first fundraiser in 2021, and it was when the world was just coming out of the pandemic, so she recalled that what felt like a stressor was so much fun and brought people together for a fundraiser to support a good cause.
Steve had a tough experience himself with prostate cancer. He had surgery in January of 2023, and that was followed by 8 weeks of radiation. He maintained a positive attitude and worked out every day to keep his focus on what he could control. He said that the YMCA in Reading is a second home to the couple, and they find a lot of support there. Currently, he feels very good.
Colleen started working at Boston Children’s Hospital on the hematology/oncology/stem cell transplant unit in 1987, and she worked there for 37.5 years. She worked bedside for many years, and then through the second part of her career she provided patient and staff education, her role being to help educate families and ease the transition to home. She saw firsthand what they ask families to do, which was to care for their children at home. She noted that “this is why the PMC is so important, it helps to support patients and families with much-needed resources.” She noted that she was drawn to patients with oncology diagnoses when she first worked at Mass General. She cared for a little girl who was very sick with leukemia. She explained that she would get her chemo, get sick, and then be ready to play. She said this is what makes caring for pediatric patients so special.
Steve and Colleen’s daughter Kate is a Child Life Specialist in the Jimmy Fund Clinic (pediatric clinic at Dana-Farber) and the handler of Opry, a Golden Retriever who serves as a facility dog at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston. To find out more information about her, please visit her Instagram by searching tailsofdanafarber. Steve and Colleen are so proud of their daughter. This program took almost two years to get approved. She met with doctors, nurses, DFCI leadership, infection control, and many more committees to get this program approved. Kate is dedicated to improving the care of the patients and families she works with, and Opry is a huge addition to this support.
Steve and Colleen will be volunteering on Saturday, August 2 in Lakeville, and their assignment is “general.” They most likely will be helping replenish the riders’ water bottles, providing them with food, re-lotion, and getting them back on their route. This is also the “Pedal Partners” stop, a pause for many riders because they see children who have been affected by cancer, and it is very emotional and reminds riders why they ride. On Sunday, August 3, they will be at the Brewster stop, and Colleen calls it such a fun, lively spot with so much energy. That day, they will be “general” volunteers, and Colleen is going to take photos and can’t wait to get the best shots of the riders!
The Wakefield community can help this cause in four ways. The first being to ride. Steven and Colleen commented, “Don’t be afraid to ride! Riders come in all shapes and sizes. Many of the riders have undergone cancer treatment (or still are). This is not a race, it is raising awareness and much-needed money to support research and patients/families.” The pair called it an experience like no other and were tearing up talking about it! The second way to support the cause would be to donate. The PMC is Dana-Farber’s largest single contributor, accounting for more than 62% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue. Last year’s fundraising campaign brought the PMC’s total contributions in the fight against cancer since 1980 to a monumental $1 billion cumulative fundraising milestone! 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to support lifesaving cancer research and care. Even though the pair is not riding this year, they are supporting the Pedals for Pediatric team, and you can donate at https://profile.pmc.org/SN0127. The third way to support would be to echo Steve and Colleen and volunteer. The final way to support this cause would be simply cheering someone on. Steve and Colleen said that it is amazing how much it boosts your spirits as you are riding. In 2024 the duo had four friends on the sidelines waiting for them. They felt very supported and appreciated all of the support.
Their advice for someone who wants to ride the PMC for the first time would be to look at the ride route options and train! The pair was worried that the roads would be so crowded, but they never felt crowded or unsafe; they rode at their own pace and did fine. They said, “like the NIKE ad says: ‘Just do it!’”