The Terry Fox Foundation is excited to announce that Canadians will continue to support cancer research through virtual runs from coast to coast this September. Fox once said, “Anything is possible if you try.” Help us celebrate the 41st anniversary of his Marathon of Hope by joining us today.
• When: Sunday, Sept. 19
• What: A virtual Terry Fox Run: One Day. Your Way. We will unite in spirit, not in person!
• Where: Wherever you are! Around your neighbourhood, backyard, down the street or around the block. Walk, Ride, Run!
• How: Register as an individual, family or a virtual team at terryfox.org. Try the Terry Fox Run app this season, compete in step challenges, and ultimately participate in the 2021 Terry Fox Run!
• Why: Because cancer research cannot wait for COVID-19 to be over. Because Terry asked us to try. Because it’s the 41st anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope!
Terry’s Story: Eighteen-year-old Terry Fox of Port Coquitlam, B.C., never saw himself as remarkable. Granted, he displayed an unusual determination to achieve the goals he set for himself but his orbit was local – family, school, sports and friends.
But his cancer diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma just above the knee, the subsequent amputation of his leg and experience in the children’s cancer wards changed all that. A newly nurtured reservoir of compassion, combined with a fierce determination to bring an end to the suffering cancer causes, set him on a path that, quite simply, changed the world.
Fox’s personal experience and research led him to a simple conclusion — more money was needed for cancer research. And so, in the modest but motivated style that would prove to be his trademark, Terry started training and planning for his cross-Canada run to raise funds for cancer research. He dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean on April 12, 1980 and proceeded to unite Canadians in a not seen before or since.
The only thing that could have stopped him from reaching the Pacific Ocean was his cancer, which forced him to stop on Sept. 1, after he’d run 5,373 kilometres. Before his death on June 28, 1981, Fox had achieved his once unimaginable goal of raising one dollar from every Canadian. More importantly, he had set in motion the framework for an event, The Terry Fox Run, that would ignite cancer research in Canada, raising more than $850 million since 1980, and bring hope and health to millions of Canadians.
This year, the Fox family came together with the Métis Nation of B.C. to create a T-shirt design that celebrates Terry’s heritage. Traditional Métis floral beading represents the flowers from the land on which Fox’s ancestors lived. The mission- to fund cancer research is shared in English, French and the Métis traditional language of Michif.
The message “Try like Terry” is surrounded by a mouse track beadwork border connected by the Métis infinity symbol. Stop in at the Recreation Centre and pick up yours today!
Just a reminder that the Aquatic Centre is closed for an annual maintenance shutdown between Sept. 4-26, reopening on Monday, Sept. 27. In the meantime, the Jack Goddard Memorial Arena is getting chillier and chillier and the ice is looking fantastic!
Our ice season starts on Sept. 13, so get those skates sharpened and we’ll see you soon!
— Submitted by Grand Forks & District Recreation