Cancer gives teacher a reason to ride

About the PMC

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is the nation’s original fundraising bike-a-thon, raising more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. With 99 cents of each dollar raised going directly to the Jimmy Fund, the PMC has contributed more than $171 million to lifesaving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since its 1980 inception.

On Aug. 4 and 5, more than 5,300 cyclists will travel nine different routes, logging between 70 and 192 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns.

For more information or to make a donation, visit www.pmc.org.

Faced with a cancer diagnosis in 1996, the Watertown resident and father of two said he was pushed down a dark road with no sense of direction.

Ames, 51, a former cardiac physiologist and current teacher at the Fessenden School in Newton, is now a proud cancer survivor heading down a different road — one that requires a bicycle and a lot of heart.

This year, Ames will participate in his 10th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. So far, he’s raised $120,000 for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Inside his cozy Commonwealth Road home, Ames is surrounded by photos of his family — wife Stephanie and daughters Olivia and Sawyer — biking equipment on the floor, and memorabilia from more than 20 years of rowing and Charles River regattas.

Always an athlete, Ames said his one true passion is being on the water inside his single rowing shell and as a loyal member of the Riverside Boat Club in Cambridge.

But biking for a cause with others who all have a story to tell was also something Ames wanted to be a big part of his life.

After a risky seven-hour surgery, ongoing treatment and pricey hospital bills from being diagnosed with testicular cancer, Ames said he wanted to find a way to give back and stay connected.

Next month, Ames will take the Pan-Mass road again with a goal to raise $10,000.

Coming to grips with the cancer got off to an “ugly start,” since he went to his physical just one day after his 40th birthday, and found out just four months after his daughter Olivia was born.

“I thought to myself, I really want to see Olivia grow up,” he said.

At that time, Ames was the only person he knew who had cancer.

“There was a feeling of, ‘what have I done wrong?’” he said. “There is something there that isn’t supposed to be. I want it out now. You have to realize that you may not come out on the other end of this.”

But after sending out fundraising letters to family and friends asking for donations to help the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Ames knew he was not alone.

“It changes your perspective,” he said about meeting people with a connection of some kind to cancer. “Everyone on the road has stories … old battle scars.”

Over the years, Ames’ treatment went from once a week to now just a yearly physical. Although he still knocks on wood for maintaining his good health and strength, Ames said he has become a better person.

With a tall stature, shaved head and glasses, there’s a look in Ames’ eyes that tells his story.

“There’s a saying that goes ‘a heart of steel goes through the hottest fire,’” he said. “You really don’t know unless you’ve been there.”

As a success story, Ames said he does not believe that everything happens for a reason. Instead, he believes in making a reason out of everything that happens.

“I think with cancer you have to do that,” he said.