Billy Starr: It’s a Wonderful Life

The Bucket Podcast

In 1973, Billy Starr’s backpack was packed and he was all set to leave for a dream trip hiking in Nepal. But like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Billy never got out of town. His mother was diagnosed with cancer and Billy spent the next year at her side in the hospital. When she died in 1974, Billy’s mind was not on the Himalayas, it was on something much more challenging — dealing with the pain of his mother’s death. It was this pain that eventually drove Billy to start the Pan-Mass Challenge, a fundraising bike ride that began with just 36 riders back in 1980 to become the largest single fundraising event in the U.S. In this podcast, you’ll hear Billy talk about the humble beginnings of the Pan-Mass Challenge and how he took his personal pain and turned it into a way to help so many people. George Bailey would be proud.