Terry Fox is an inspiration to one runner.
Yesterday, Timmins took part in the 38th annual Terry Fox Run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Organizers say this is also a special year for the organization because this summer would have been Terry Fox’s 6oth birthday.
Amanda Labine, who is visually impaired, started the run about one hour before everyone else so she could support the cause without running into the crowd. Labine says she runs with her family dog to feel more secure on the track.
She says Terry Fox’s story is an inspiring one. Labine says it’s amazing to think that Terry Fox ran an equivalent of a full marathon every day he went out on his cross-country journey. “And being as sick as he was, having one prosthetic leg that was bleeding and getting sores, just all the challenges he had to go through just to even get that start of cancer research is just to me is absolutely amazing.”
Labine says cancer research is something she holds dear to her heart. She says her mom is affected by terminal cancer, her father-in-law has terminal cancer and she has lost multiple family members to the disease. Labine says having Terry Fox start a conversation on cancer research has saved so many lives. “I look at my mom and my father-in-law and they wouldn’t be here today battling for seven or eight years each of them without the medical advances that he basically jump-started.” She states that “a lot of people weren’t even aware of the lack of medicines and equipment that were back in the 80’s.” Labine says seeing how far we have come because of Terry Fox is absolutely inspiring.
Run Organizer Cathy Davis says this year’s event had an amazing turn out with about 70 runners signed up for the noon run.