Laura Schwartz Zaks Honors Late Brother Through PMC Winter Cycle

When Westwood native Laura Schwartz Zaks sees Fenway Park on June 6 during the PMC Winter Cycle: Spring Edition, she will see a familiar sight. Her late brother, Todd Schwartz' favorite team was the Boston Red Sox. While Todd passed at 19 years old in 2002, his legacy with the Dana-Farber and the Red Sox communities remains.

“I first rode in the PMC Winter Cycle at Fenway Park a couple years ago. It was a great experience—the energy, the excitement, and all of these strangers coming together as a community to raise money for a common cause. I had recently taken up indoor cycling so this was a fun way to turn my new hobby into something meaningful. Todd was a HUGE Red Sox fan so having the opportunity to ride AT Fenway was incredible! When Todd was undergoing chemotherapy, he would quite literally plan his treatments around the Red Sox schedule. I vividly remember him looking at the Red Sox schedule that we kept in our kitchen and planning his treatments based on when the Sox were home—he figured he could go to the Jimmy Fund Clinic in the morning and be done with treatment (and already in Boston) for a 7:05 pm game. Often he felt too tired to stay in Boston for those games but he always made the effort! To walk into Fenway for the PMC Winter Cycle, the place that had helped push my brother through his most challenging days of treatment, was inspiring,” says Zaks, a 1998 Westwood High Graduate.

In the Summer of 2002, Todd was on the first WEEI Radio-Telethon. You can hear a recording of it here.

“Just a few days after Todd died in 2002, following a 2-year battle with rhabdomyosarcoma, some of his friends approached our family about holding a softball tournament. They wanted to raise money and do what Todd did best—bring people together to have fun! Todd was always so great at bringing friends together from every corner of his life - his high school friends in Westwood, overnight camp friends, UMASS Amherst friends (Todd was a sophomore at UMASS when he passed away)—so this sounded like a no-brainer! Todd, my sister Amy, and I all graduated from WHS. Members of the Westwood community really helped us through the days of Todd's illness and many Westwood friends continue to support our fundraising for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund in Todd's memory,” says Zaks.

“After Todd was diagnosed with cancer, my mom formed a Jimmy Fund Walk team. Each year since, we have walked the 26.2 miles of the Boston Marathon route as Team Todd and we have raised significant funds in support of the lab that is headed by Todd's oncologist, Loren Walensky. Todd was never able to walk with our team but he met my mom at the Finish Line the first year she walked. I know that was really special for her then and it continues to be really meaningful as we can all hear Todd's voice cheering us on as we cross the Finish Line in Boston all these years later. Last year alone we raised just shy of $140,000. A few years ago, our total fundraising efforts as Team Todd surpassed $1 million. We don't intend to stop any time soon! We know that Todd would have never stopped fighting cancer, for himself or for others, so we are committed to this cause for as long as it takes to keep siblings and families together much longer than the 19 years we had with Todd,” Zaks continues.

The PMC Winter Cycle is the first event in the Pan-Mass Challenge’s (PMC) annual fundraising campaign. It is a stationary cycling event that is traditionally held indoors; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has sent it outdoors onto the field at Fenway Park. Due to the limited space at Fenway, Zaks will be one of the PMC Winter Cycle: Spring Edition’s many virtual participants.

“I will be riding in the PMC Winter Cycle from home along with many others who have joined Team Todd. I am so excited that some of my friends, as well as Todd's friends, will get to experience this event despite the pandemic. Though members of our team have all opted to ride virtually this year, I know I'll still be thinking about what it felt like to ride at Fenway and how Todd would have thought that was really cool,” says Zaks.

“To say the least, my younger brother was an inspiration. While most high school students were thinking about prom or where to go to college, Todd was focused on his battle against cancer. And though he kept a smile on his face and a glimmer in his eye, it was a brutal battle. College wasn't a question for him - he knew he wanted that experience and he, my parents, and his medical team ensured that he could receive treatment on the UMASS campus rather than having to come home every single week. They really worked together to make sure that he had as ordinary an experience as possible. But Todd was anything but ordinary! He inspired Lisa Scherber at the Jimmy Fund Clinic to plan trips for teen patients to attend Red Sox spring training and he was also the patient spokesperson for the Jimmy Fund/Red Sox license plates. Every time I see Lisa taking teens on those trips, and every time I see one of those license plates on the road, I smile knowing that a piece of Todd is still here with each of us. And when I ride in the PMC Winter Cycle this year (on June 6th), I'll smile knowing he's cheering me on!”

If you would like to donate to Zaks’ PMC Winter Cycle: Spring Edition ride, you may do so here.