CORNWALL, Ontario – After a decade of leading the Terry Fox Run, organizer Josée Sauvé still has finish lines to cross.
The 35th edition of the charity run will be held on Sunday (September 20) at the Cornwall Civic Complex, between 8:00 a.m. and noon. Opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. Walk, cycle, run or skate 1km to 10kms along the bike path.
“Join us to be a part of Terry’s legacy and to help ensure that strides in the fight against cancer continue,” said Sauvé.
After organizing her first run in 2006, the Terry Fox Foundation issued a 10-year certificate of appreciation.
“Each year, I’ve proudly placed my sticker on the plaque and now it’s full,” she said. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment that’s for sure. But I couldn’t have done it without the strong support of my friends and family – it belongs to all of us really.”
Participants can make a personal donation of any amount at the site, or can collect pledges from friends, neighbours, family members and co-workers ahead of time using pledge sheets, or collecting pledges online by registering at www.terryfox.org.
Pledge forms can be picked up at any BMO and RBC Banks, the Cornwall Public Library, almost all Cornwall Fitness Clubs, both LCBO locations, Val & Paulie’s Diner, the Aquatic Centre, the Benson Centre, Short Line Convenience & Video Store and Play It Again Sports.
For more information, contact 613-932-6601 x121 or email cornwallterryfoxrun@hotmail.com.
Following a Canadian hero’s footsteps
It was 35 years ago that Fox ran his Marathon of Hope. Starting in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in April 1980 with little fanfare, he ran close to 42 kilometres a day, with an artificial limb, through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
But after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, Fox was forced to stop in Thunder Bay, Ont. because his primary cancer had spread to his lungs. He passed away on June 28, 1981, at the age 22.
Although Fox never got to finish the marathon, his legacy has evolved into the largest fundraising event in support of cancer research.
According to the Terry Fox Foundation, fundraising dollars are allowing for innovative, discovery-based and translational research in a number of areas including: imaging that detects if breast cancer treatment is working after just one week of therapy; a pre-leukemic stem cell that can identify the disease before it even begins; and genome sequencing to better understand drug resistance in cancerous tumours.
