PORT HARDY— Around twenty five North Islanders came to the Port Hardy Secondary School track this weekend to take part in their own Marathon of Hope.
The twenty five represented an improvement on recent years, explained Pam Johnson, who was on hand at the high-school track collecting donations and selling Terry Fox memorabilia. Altogether the local Terry Fox run raised over $600 for the cancer research charity.
Terry Fox suffered from osteogenic sarcoma which resulted in his right leg being amputated in 1977. Seeing the suffering in the cancer ward, he set out to raise awareness of the need for more research into finding a cure for the condition. In 1980 he set out to run across Canada, spreading his message and attempting to raise $24 million— $1 for each Canadian.
Although the run ended after 143 days, when the cancer spread to his lungs, the fundraising didn't, and in 1981 the Marathon of Hope reached its goal of $24.17 million. Fox died four months later.
To date, the fund has raised over $600 million and each year the Terry Fox Foundation funds close to $20 million in research projects.