By Christopher Tremblay Staff Sports Writer

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), a fundraising bike-a-thon started in 1980 by Billy Starr to benefit the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute via the Jimmy Fund, raises more money than any other single athletic fundraiser in the country, and was something that Nancy Cantor didn’t go looking for. Originally the Ashland native saw a video at work on the PMC and felt inspired being a cyclist herself and immediately signed up to take part in the yearly August ride.

Unfortunately, Cantor could not make the ride that year because of work commitments, but she was defiantly going to get upon her bike the following year. As was the case a year earlier Cantor once again found that she would not be able to participate in the PMC as she was pregnant and wouldn’t get the chance to complete her first PMC ride for another 6 years, but in the meantime her husband started riding.

When she was finally able to get upon her bike she was riding for Team Stem Cell, which designated their funds to Dr. Corey Cutler. Cantor would ride for Team Stem Cell for the next 16 years. 

Twenty years ago Cantor established the Dream Factory Community, an educational organization that empowers women to live their dreams. How the name came about was in a dream that Cantor had one evening.

“I happened to answer the phone Dream Factory. I don’t know why, but decided to create a Dream Factory, whatever that was,” she said. “There would be no CEO, but instead a CDO (Chief Dream Officer).”

The training and gatherings took off throughout the communities and everything was working out for Cantor. Two members of the Dream Factory, Mara Castello and Janet Snider, both had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. So in 2022 Cantor decided that it would be a much more personal mission to support them and other women with ovarian cancer. 

The two women, along with Cantor formed Team Ovarian Cancer and although Snider and Castello couldn’t ride in the PMC physically they were virtual riders for the cause. In the meantime Cantor reached out to Dr Cutler looking for someone to designate their PMC funds in regard to ovarian cancer. Cantor was referred to Dr. Ursula Matuloni, the Chief of Gynecological Oncology at Dana Farber. She was involved in research of ovarian cancer and uncovering new ways to treat the disease, while working on enhancing the power of Natural Killer Cells to take out the ovarian cancer cells. 

“Calling it Team Ovarian Cancer was basic and clear to what we represented,” Cantor said. “I am not sure that I would have done all of this if it hadn’t been for Janet and Mara; it became a personal commitment.”

 Sadly, they lost Janet not far after creating the team and recently Mara succumbed to her disease after an 8 1/2-year fight in December of 2024. Team Ovarian Cancer has lost other family members to the disease, including Katie Cunningham, this past July. Cunningham was set to make her first PMC ride with her wife, Erin, who had been riding for the past two years. This year they will ride in memory of Katie as well as other ovarian cancer patients.

During its inaugural year the organization had 12 people and raised $87,000 for Dr. Matulonis. Over the years the numbers of participants have increased to 21 and the donations to $186,000; this year they are at 25 people and at the time of this writing had amassed $100,000 of their $200,000 goal. Through its four years Team Ovarian Cancer has been able to raise over ½ million dollars for its cause. According to Cantor, it’s such a dramatic accomplishment in such a short time and they are still in the small stage and looking to continue to grow.

“During our first-year people were touched by our commitment and would seek us out to donate,” Cantor said. “We didn’t know anything about these people but they were still wanted to send money to our cause. One donor, who happened to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, gave $6100 that year becoming our biggest donor to date.”

Team Ovarian Cancer is a team of active fundraisers with a lot of heart and soul – if you would like to support their cause you can send checks made out to the PMC via Nancy Cantor at 27 Tri Street, Ashland MA 01721.