VietNamNet Bridge – This year’s Terry Fox Run will start at 8:00 a.m. at the Crescent Area in Phu My Hung, District 7 on Sunday.

The family event aims to raise awareness on the importance of finding a cure for cancer. Participation is for all ages, and participants can choose to walk, run, cycle or rollerblade in this non-competitive event.

The 5km charity event is organized by the consulate general of Canada in HCMC, in cooperation with the Canadian International School system, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, and the HCMC Union of Friendship Organizations.

Last year’s Terry Fox Run was the largest ever in HCMC, drawing 12,300 participants and raising over VND1.4 billion for charity. This year’s run promises to top even that. Every year, countries around the world join forces to stage events in honor of Fox himself - a truly remarkable man. He grew up near Vancouver on Canada’s west coast and as an active teenager was involved in many sports but when he was just 18 years was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres above the knee in 1977.

While in hospital, Terry realized although his ordeal was tough others were even more unfortunate, including young children. So, he decided to run across Canada from coast to coast to raise money for cancer research. He called his journey the Marathon of Hope.

Fox ran close to 42 kilometres a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, he was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. He passed away on June 28, 1981 at the tender age of 22.

To date, over US$600 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in his name.

VietNamNet/SGT