AMSA Student is Youngest Cancer Survivor to Ride PMC [Part 1]

It's a rainy Friday afternoon in early fall. Alternating between fidgeting in his seat and peering at his laptop behind shaggy brown hair, it is evident that Sam Mahler has had a long week of school at . It is evident that he's excited —but a bit relieved— that his bar mitzvah finally happened last weekend.

It is also evident that Sam Mahler is a fairly typical thirteen-year-old boy.

But if you ask his father, Mike, you'll learn that this easy normalcy is not taken for granted. Sam is a survivor of mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a rare oral cancer. Though Sam has been cancer-free for eight years and is now considered cured, the Mahler family has been forever changed by cancer —forging new friendships, mourning losses, and pushing themselves to their physical limits— largely through their continued involvement in the annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. ( about the Marlborough participants.)

And it all started with a tickle fight.

In 2002, when Sam was three-and-a-half years old, Mike was tickling him at the dinner table. As Sam laughed, “the sunlight coming through the window caught his palate in such a way that I was able to notice a red bump in his mouth, something I could tell wasn't supposed to be there.” Though Sam doesn't remember this incident, it's a story he's heard before. It's a story that could have gone any number of ways, though ultimately this fairly typical family scene proved to be the beginning of an entirely new challenge.

Many doctor's appointments later, Sam was taken to Children's Hospital, where, after a biopsy and some internal disagreement, he was diagnosed with mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Luckily, his surgeries were outpatient and he did not have to receive radiation treatment, though the next few months would be dotted with frequent check-ups at the hospital. After seeing what no parent should ever have to see, Mike decided to find a way to get more involved in supporting cancer research. He thought back to coworkers from years past talking about riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge, and resolved to become a rider himself the next year.

Mike's first PMC ride in 2003 wasn't easy. He rode alone in the 47-mile Wellesley loop. “It was lonely and discouraging without other people, and even though I made it to the end, I didn't think I could do it again.”

But, he did do it again. And again. And again.

Check back Friday morning to read part 2 of this story.

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