WELLINGTON COUNTY – Local residents are being encouraged to join cancer fighters across the nation in participating in the first ever virtual Terry Fox Run.
Forty years ago, Terry Fox set out on his Marathon of Hope not knowing how Canadians would respond to his plea, “Somewhere the hurting must stop.”
The Marathon of Hope might be turning 40 years old, but the message is timeless.
On Sept. 20, Canadians will show up again for Fox and for cancer research, not in person but in spirit, in neighbourhoods across Canada.
Walkers, runners, bikers, and hikers, will participate in the first-ever virtual “Terry Fox Run. One Day. Your Way.”
“Some will get up at 4:30am to honour Terry’s favourite time to run, while others will walk and Skype family in Europe to participate in a global effort,” officials stated in a press release.
“In these uncertain times, the one certainty we have is that cancer is not waiting for COVID to be over.”
Important findings continue to be made, as seen when Terry Fox-funded scientists at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto mined the uncharted territory of the genome of a cancer cell and discovered gold: new protein targets for drug development against prostate cancer.
Previously dismissed as “junk” DNA, noncoding regions were once thought to have little to offer for a cure against cancer.
“We are exploring uncharted territory,” says Dr. Matthew Lupien.
This September, the foundation is urging everyone to help celebrate a favourite Canadian fall tradition that will look a little different but have the same heart.
To date, over $800 million has been raised worldwide in Terry Fox’s name to fund the most promising and innovative research.
Register for a local event at terryfox.org.
