By Chris Abbott
In 1980, Terry Fox began his cross-country Marathon of Hope, running marathons to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. It continued for 143 days, and he persevered through snow, rain, wind and heat.
That was the inspiration for this year’s Norfolk Terry Fox Run theme on Sept. 15 – No Matter What – with 1km and 5km routes available in Simcoe.
Norfolk County’s Terry Fox Run, now in its 44th year, had raised more than $336,000 from 2003-2023.
“Community is such a big thing, especially for Norfolk County,” said coordinator Carolyn Thorpe. “We find businesses are very generous, year after year, helping us with donations of food items, water, prizes, everything we need. We have a huge area to cover… and it’s an amazing community for support.
“Everything went really well today,” said Thorpe. “It’s always a beautiful day on Terry’s day, it always just seems to happen that way. The turnout is fantastic. We have faithful teams that come out all the time, it’s their passion, it’s in their heart. Some are survivors, some have lost loved ones.
“Terry is inspiring… 44 years and we still do a walk/run for cancer research. Because cancer doesn’t go away.”
The number of people diagnosed with cancer is diminishing, slowly, and the number of survivors is increasing, and the $43 million donated from last year’s Terry Fox Runs across the country contributed to that, said Thorpe.
“I’m training for a half-marathon and I thought it would be good to run for a good cause and spread the word – I had a grandparent who passed away from cancer,” said Brody Loder, one of eight Norfolk Terry Fox Run volunteers from Scotlynn Group. “Scotlynn asked if people wanted to come out and support it – one of our co-workers is on the committee.”
“I wanted to help out with the Terry Fox Run,” said Scotlynn Group’s Melissa Stefureak at her first Terry Fox event. “Scotlynn has a great volunteering program, so we do our best to encourage our teammates to participate and do something they are passionate about in the community and help make a difference.”
Ashley LaPlante, the opening ceremonies guest speaker, talked about her cancer journey from her diagnosis in July 2007, chemo, surgery in Sept. 2007, then radiation until 2008. And her struggle with implants, leading up to their future removal.
“This year I will be celebrating my 17-year cancer-versary,” said LaPlante. “Sometimes I feel guilty celebrating, I’ve lost many friends over the years to cancer. But I also have many, many survivor friends. The Terry Fox Foundation has funded so much research, and that is crucial to every aspect of cancer. Life does not get any easier or more forgiving. We get stronger and more resilient. This is why we do this – we have all been affected by cancer one way or another. So go out there today and run, walk, wheel, ride… and cross that finish line. No matter what.”
Rick Young from Wheels of Hope, Ontario Branch, was promoting the organization’s ride program at the Norfolk Terry Fox. If you’re going to treatments, it’s $100/year for unlimited rides. Call 1-888-939-3333 for more information.
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