This Sunday people across the country will take to the streets to honour the legacy of Terry Fox.
In Prince Rupert, the Terry Fox Run will get underway with registration at noon at Northern Savings Credit Union, which is once again hosting the local event. The run itself will begin at one p.m. with people being invited to walk, bike, run, roller blade or skateboard the course.
There is no minimum donation to participate in the run, as organizers want it to be a fun day with friends and family to honour those who have lost their lives to cancer and those who continue to battle cancer. Following the run, there will be a barbecue and door prizes for the community, and there will also be t-shirts for sale to support the cause.
Joining the Prince Rupert Terry Fox Run this year will be Jim Terrion, who has raised more than $500,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation and ran last year in Terry Fox's home town to mark the 25th anniversary of the run. Terrion has already been busy hitting the streets around Prince Rupert as he moves toward his goal of raising $1 million.
The Terry Fox Run will take place rain or shine, and currently the forecast for Sunday is calling for sun and highs of 16 degrees.
Just 18 at the time of his diagnosis, Terry Fox was an active, athletic teenager who was forced to undergo the amputation of his right leg due to bone cancer. Throughout his treatment Fox witnessed the struggle of many young cancer patients, which ignited his desire to contribute in a meaningful way to the cause.
Fox left Newfoundland in June of 1980 with little outside support, but all that changed very quickly as the courageous amputee skip-hopped through the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and part of Ontario before having to stop on September 1. Finding out that the cancer had spread to his lungs, Fox vowed to return to finish his run when healthy enough.
That time would not come, however, as Fox succumbed on June 28, 1981 at just 22 years of age.
Look for coverage of the Terry Fox Run next Wednesday in the Prince Rupert Northern View.