Communities across Canada came together earlier this month for the 46th annual Terry Fox Run, celebrating Terry Fox’s lasting legacy of hope and determination.

Once again, thousands of people took part in the annual run to honour Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer and to support cancer research across Canada. The Terry Fox Foundation surpassed the $1-billion mark in fundraising earlier this year through donations from Canadians over the years.

Twenty-four-year-old Lovisa Percy took part in her first Terry Fox Run at Wilket Creek Park in Toronto, just one year after losing her father, Clifton, to pancreatic cancer. She completed the run in just over 29 minutes and raised $180 for cancer research and hopes to return every year to honour her father’s memory.

Another participant, 19-year-old Domenico Meleca, was diagnosed with the same type of cancer Terry Fox had when he was just 16 and had to have his right leg amputated. After learning that he had the same cancer, Meleca told himself that if Terry could face the challenge, he could too. Meleca now encourages Canadians to keep supporting cancer research, saying donations have helped fund medical advances that eventually saved his life.

Terry Fox’s niece, Jessie Alder, participated in the Terry Fox Run in Vancouver’s Stanley Park and said the event is always very special for her family. She said it feels almost like Christmas because of the memories and the strong connection to Terry’s dream.

While thousands of Canadians participated in the event, more than three million people around the world signed up for the fundraising challenge. Through this event, participants raised more than $30 million for cancer research.

Source: Kamil Karamali, CTV News