I’m sure if you stop and think about it, you know at least one person whose life has been affected by Cancer, for many of you, the number is probably much higher. Visit my personal page to make a secure online donation in support of the 2006 Terry Fox Run for Cancer Reasearch.

Please take a minute to read about the life and legacy of Terry Fox, an outstanding athlete and a truly great Canadian. I can never read his story without being moved.

In the fall of 1979, 21-year-old Terry Fox began his quest to run across Canada. He had lost most of his right leg to cancer two years before. Terry’s goal was to raise $1 for every Canadian in support of Cancer research. His mother thought it was a crazy idea but knew her son could not be stopped. Fox’s plan was to start in St. John’s, Newfoundland and to finish on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

On the morning of April 12, 1980, Fox dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean with little fanfare and began his Marathon of Hope. After four months of running the equivalent of a marathon (26 miles) each day on one leg, Terry reached the outskirts of Thunder Bay, Ontario. By this time Terry had attracted national attention and raised millions of dollars for Cancer research. While in Thunder Bay, Terry sought treatment for a cough he had developed the day before. Upon examination, Terry’s doctor’s informed him that his cancer had returned, and this time, it had spread to his lungs. On September 1, 1980, at mile number 3,339, Terry gave a press conference announcing that he was temporarily ending his run and returning home to seek treatment. On June 28, 1981, with his family beside him, Terry finally succumbed to his disease.

Terry was never able to complete his run across Canada, but he did achieve his fundraising goal during his lifetime. By February 1981, Terry Fox had raised $24.17 million, equaling Canada’s population of 24.1 million at the time. To date, more than $400 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.

This year, my family and I will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research (New York City) on Saturday, October 14th at 9:30am in Central Park. We are asking for your help in our efforts to raise money to stamp out this deadly disease. Visit my personal page to make a secure online donation. All proceeds will be donated to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Thank you again for your support. Every penny counts.