Terry Fox Run at Canatara Park

Thirty five years later, you’d be hard pressed to find a person in Canada who is unfamiliar with Terry Fox – or throughout much of the world, for that matter.

This Sunday marks the 35th anniversary of the Terry Fox Run, and Kimberley’s run will go from Centennial Hall at noon.

If it rains this Sunday, don’t complain, just get out there and keep in mind that a mild damper on the B.C. coast in September is nothing compared an April to Newfoundland, where Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope in 1980.

And when this astonishingly determined and courageous young man lost his battle with cancer on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22, we wept then, too. In 1980 cancer survivor Terry Fox attempted to run across Canada on an artificial leg to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.

Although the very first Marathon of Hope was cut short after 143 days and 5,373 km/3,339 miles, Terry Fox’s legacy took on a life of its own. “I have to.” That cure continues to elude researchers, but outcomes for many cancer patients have improved dramatically over the past three decades – thanks in part to the more than 1,200 cancer research projects the foundation has funded.

The Marathon of Hope has raised more than $650 million in 35 years. Visit the Terry Fox Run 2015 Wawa page on Facebook for further information.

There are hundreds of runs held across the country each year, including the Langley City run and another in the Township at the Walnut Grove Community Centre.

Cancer, what he thought he had beaten when doctors amputated his leg, had spread to his lungs.

“He wasn’t in this for any other reason other than to make a difference in other people’s lives”. “I feel proud that I’m able to attend a school in his name”.