Melissa Gould rode 50 miles Saturday, carrying the names of 28 of her friends and family affected by cancer. She's just one of over 4,400 attendees of the 38th annual Prouty to Fight Cancer.The event, hosted by Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, took place July 12-13 and featured a walkathon, biking challenges and rowing and golfing events. Sybil Buell, a breast cancer survivor, first heard of the event years ago but started attending recently with other local cancer survivors. The Prouty, which Dartmouth-Hitchcock bills as"the largest charity challenge north of Boston," is the primary yearly fundraiser for the hospital's cancer center. Dr. Steven Leach, the director of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, was thrilled with the event's turnout and popularity."There's not another cancer center in the country that receives the support that we do from our community," he said.The mood of Saturday's event was festive, featuring music, a barbecue, group yoga and countless dogs wearing "Prouty Pups" bandannas. Despite the festive atmosphere, the event's purpose is solemn: funding research to cure deadly cancers. Many in attendance, including 33-year Prouty attendee Trish Hoyt, have lost close family members to cancer. "We really need to find a cure for this, if not in our lifetime then in our children's lifetime," she told NBC5. Saturday's event raised a record-breaking $3.3 million for cancer research.

Melissa Gould rode 50 miles Saturday, carrying the names of 28 of her friends and family affected by cancer. She's just one of over 4,400 attendees of the 38th annual Prouty to Fight Cancer.

The event, hosted by Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center, took place July 12-13 and featured a walkathon, biking challenges and rowing and golfing events.


Sybil Buell, a breast cancer survivor, first heard of the event years ago but started attending recently with other local cancer survivors.

The Prouty, which Dartmouth-Hitchcock bills as"the largest charity challenge north of Boston," is the primary yearly fundraiser for the hospital's cancer center.

Dr. Steven Leach, the director of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, was thrilled with the event's turnout and popularity.

"There's not another cancer center in the country that receives the support that we do from our community," he said.

The mood of Saturday's event was festive, featuring music, a barbecue, group yoga and countless dogs wearing "Prouty Pups" bandannas.

Despite the festive atmosphere, the event's purpose is solemn: funding research to cure deadly cancers. Many in attendance, including 33-year Prouty attendee Trish Hoyt, have lost close family members to cancer. "We really need to find a cure for this, if not in our lifetime then in our children's lifetime," she told NBC5.

Saturday's event raised a record-breaking $3.3 million for cancer research.