BOSTON — Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield didn't get the chance to ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge, so former teammate Mike Timlin will do it for him.
Timlin, who won two World Series titles alongside Wakefield, said he and his wife will ride in the cross-state fundraiser this summer in the memory of the friend and teammate who . The Pan-Mass Challenge is the largest single-event athletic fundraiser in the country, raising more than $1 billion for cancer treatment and research since 1980, with many of the riders dedicating their effort to friends and family who died of the disease.
"PMC is good therapy," event founder Billy Starr said in a video call. "It's one of our great sales tools."
, the PMC is a one- and two-day bike ride of up to 186 miles that grew to include 46 different routes across the state, with many riders ending in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. This August, nearly 7,000 riders will mount up with the goal of raising $76 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the nation's leading cancer treatment and research hospitals.
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Cyclists are seen Aug. 5, 2006, in Sturbridge, Mass., at the start of an annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge bike-a-thon to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
Timlin and Wakefield shared a clubhouse when the Red Sox collapsed in the 2003 AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then came back the following season to win it all and ending the franchise's 86-year championship drought. Both pitched into their 40s, with Wakefield riding his old-timey knuckleball into the Red Sox record books as the third-winningest pitcher in team history, trailing Cy Young and Roger Clemens; only Carl Yastrzemski, Dwight Evans and Ted Williams played more seasons for the Red Sox.
More importantly, Wakefield was a charitable workhorse, winning baseball's Roberto Clemente Award for sportsmanship and community involvement in 2010 and serving as the Red Sox nominee seven other times. He was the team's first Jimmy Fund captain, visiting with patients and raising funds for the childhood cancer charity, and the honorary chairman of the Red Sox Foundation.
Wakefield worked on the team's broadcasts after retiring in 2012, and it was in the booth during PMC Day at Fenway Park in 2023 when he approached Starr. The ballplayer had not yet gone public with his diagnosis.
"He said, 'I'm riding next year.' I said, 'We'll still be here, and you will be welcome, of course,'" Starr said. "And then: Whoa. (He went) so quickly downhill."
Less than three months later, Wakefield died. Later that offseason, his .
"We've all seen it. We've all been touched by it … it's awful. And knowing that one of my buddies had had to go through that, and his wife had to go through it … it kind of drives me to do this," Timlin said this week. "You don't want to see someone else's family go through the tragedy. And if you can prevent that, even in a small way, then do so."
Boston Red Sox pitchers Tim Wakefield, left, and Mike Timlin walk back to the clubhouse Feb. 15, 2008, after workouts at the team's baseball spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla.
Wakefield's death was mourned across baseball, and beyond.
"Wake has always been inspirational, and doing stuff around the community," Timlin said. "He was very high on kids charities, and leading by example. We try to just emulate what he could do."
Now empty-nesters living in Colorado, Timlin and his wife, Dawn, participated in 60-mile trail rides and other off-road events to take advantage of the outdoors. Dawn Timlin rode in the PMC four times when Mike spent the last six seasons of an 18-year major league career in Boston.
"She told me my butt's going to be really sore," Mike Timlin said. "You get back on your bike the second day, you're probably not going to want to see that bike ever again."
"But she said the best part about it is you meet so many new people and … it is kind of amazing how you form a camaraderie with people you don't even know," he said. "That's the whole part about it. Just doing something as a community and getting to know new people."
That was enough to get Timlin, who thought he might have been done with Boston drivers when his career with the Red Sox was over, back on the road.
"I mean, there are some tight roads that you have to ride on. So, yes, it's quite the challenge," he said. "You've got to be real careful all the time."
Developments in oncology over the last year showing promise for cancer patients and others
Artificial intelligence applications in cancer detection and treatment
Aspects of computer science algorithms have been put to work detecting cancer and pinpointing more effective forms of treatment for about the last 20 years, though research in the area is becoming more popular surrounding the launch of powerful and accessible generative AI tools in late 2022. Mentions of AI in cancer research have appeared in more than 1,000 research journal publications each year since 2022.
One of the more is the potential for AI to do a better job than humans in spotting hard-to-identify signs of emerging colon and rectal cancer, the cause of death from cancer and the number one cause for . The study adds to a growing body of research suggesting AI algorithms can improve early detection, one of the best-known ways to .
Genome sequencing opens up the potential for more targeted treatments
Genome sequencing, or the mapping of the genetic tissues within the human body, has evolved since the 1980s as a tool for personalizing health care treatments rather than applying potentially less-effective blanket treatments.
Cancers involve mutations of the cell that can vary greatly from case to case. In January, researchers published the largest of its kind. The study included data on nearly 14,000 tumors, which the authors believe will impact how doctors for cancer patients.
The promise of pre-chemotherapy surgery
Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive forms of cancer with one of the lowest survival rates. Even when caught early, the average , according to Johns Hopkins.
A performed before recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients begin chemotherapy has shown signs of helping doctors better treat it before it spreads, according to a study published last July in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Precise biology-guided radiation for bone and lung cancer therapy
Lung cancer causes 1 in 5 deaths among all forms of cancer and is the leading cause of all cancer deaths. This past year, top cancer centers including the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center rolled out new to help target multiple cancerous areas within the affected body parts while not damaging healthy surrounding tissue. Using radioactivity, the treatment causes cancer cells to produce a signal that it can target with beams of radiation.
Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.
This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Developments in oncology over the last year showing promise for cancer patients and others
Leaps forward in tech and science this past year promise greater accessibility and quality of care for Americans suffering from nearly all forms of cancer.
analyzed academic studies and resources from leading cancer research institutions, including the and the , to round up the latest advancements in oncology—the science of diagnosing, preventing, and treating various forms of cancer.
Evidence of when medical records in Egyptian hieroglyphics described surgical procedures and an understanding of benign and malignant tumors. The modern science of oncology, which we now appreciate for its ability to greatly extend life expectancies for those living with cancer, began in earnest a little more than 100 years ago.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Marie Curie's work in chemistry and radiology, or the science of X-rays and radiation, was fundamental to the evolution of cancer research. In the post-World War II years, advancements in computer technology allowed truly modern techniques for diagnosis and treatment to flourish, including and targeted therapies that don't harm healthy parts of the body.
An estimated every year. New developments are underway by medical technology firms and researchers that have the potential to improve the effects of radiation therapy or bypass its need altogether for the millions of people diagnosed with cancer every year.
