Today is Terry Fox Day in Manitoba.
Terry Fox — who was born in Manitoba — was best known for his Marathon of Hope. After having lost his leg to cancer in 1980, Fox embarked on the east-to-west cross-Canada marathon with the goal of raising money and awareness for cancer research. He started in St. John's, N.L. and travelled 5,373 kilometres on foot over the course of 143 days. However, Terry Fox was forced to end his run outside Thunder Bay, Ont. after his cancer had returned and spread to his lungs, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Fox was able to raise $1.7 million — equivalent to $5.92 million in today's money — from his cross-country journey and today, millions of people across Canada and 59 other countries participate in annual Terry Fox Runs in his honour. The first annual Terry Fox Run was held in 1981 and Terry Fox Runs have now become the largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research in the world with over $800 million being raised in his name to date.
The Terry Fox Run is set to return to Dauphin's Vermillion Park this fall and Stephen Roznowsky has been organizing Dauphin's Terry Fox Runs for the past 15 years after losing his father to lung cancer.
"Raising money for cancer has always been a passion of mine... Any kind of research or any kind of [breakthrough] in cancer is a godsend because we all know or all have a person or persons that are close to us that have either had cancer... suffered through cancer, [or] have survived cancer... That's what we want, being able to survive a terrible disease," he added.
Roznowsky also said that he believes that if his father was diagnosed with cancer today, he would have had a much better chance of surviving lung cancer and that he's hopeful for the future of cancer care.
"In terms of the leaps and bounds [by which] cancer care [has improved]... and all the steps that have been researched and developed [over the years], I think... [we have gotten to the point where] a person who is actually diagnosed with cancer... [which used to be a death sentence] 20 [or] 30 years ago... can beat it... It also gives people... [the] hope of having a chance to see another day," he added.
Anyone interested in donating money to the Terry Fox Foundation can do so on their website.
