I went jogging the other day with only a slight reminder that it was also the annual
Terry Fox Run. Growing up I remember my junior public school always encouraging students to participate ~ students pledged to run a number of laps based on how much they raised. We watched biographies of
Terry Fox; a Canadian humanitarian and leg amputee athlete who passed away in 1981 (only 22 years old) while embarking on a cross-country run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The cancer that had taken his leg had returned and spread to his lungs after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres of running ~ he raised $1.7 million by the time he was forced to abandon the Marathon of Hope. The national response to his efforts was one of the most powerful outpourings of emotion and generosity. He refused to regard himself as disabled and wouldn't allow anyone to pity him. He challenged society to focus on ability rather than disability. He is an inspiration of the highest caliber.
That is why this week I'm making a donation to '
The Terry Fox Foundation'. The foundation reflects the purpose of Terry Fox's Run, as quoted by him: "I was not going to let myself be used. There was only one thing I wanted to publicize and that was fundraising for cancer research." Uninterested in fame and glory when he embarked on his Marathon of Hope in 1980, his sole purpose was to raise money to find a cure for cancer. Fundraising for the run continues to be non-competitive and has no corporate sponsorship. To date, The Foundation is responsible for supporting close to $20 million in discovery based research each year in Canada ~ it directs 85 cents of every dollar raised to support cancer research in Terry’s name.
I challenge anyone to
do more.
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