Attendance was up for this year’s Terry Fox Run in Langley City and so, too, were donations.
As of Monday, Sept. 17, $26,209 had been raised, and the number was expected to go up as more donations came in post-run.
It was a 41-per-cent increase of fundraising over 2023 and nine per cent above 2022; which had been the biggest year to date.
There were 171 walkers/runners and 40 volunteers for a total of 211 participants, up 11 per cent compared to 2023. The record was 292 in 2012.
This year's Dave Hall volunteer of the year was Tom Barichello, a dedicated part of the team that organizes the event every year.
Attendance was up for the 44th Terry Fox run in Langley City Sunday. pic.twitter.com/TgPmxVb1zX
— Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes) September 15, 2024
It was the 12th Terry Fox Run for Gregory Douglas, who lives close to Douglas Park – where the event began and ended.
“I’ve got some family members, cousins who have gone through cancer and successfully beaten cancer,” Douglas shared. “[One] just recently beat breast cancer, and I just want to support her and support everybody who has been suffering cancer.”
Langley City Councillor Rosemary Wallace, one of the organizers of the annual fundraiser for cancer research, told the Langley Advance Times she has “lost some dear loved ones” to cancer.
“I’ve lost a son-in-law at the age of 26 and a mother at the age of 53,” Wallace listed.
“I’ve lost a lot of people to cancer, so it’s an emotional event and it’s a really important event.”
READ ALSO: Neck bumps start of cancer journey for speaker at Langley's Terry Fox Run
Walnut Grove resident Jovanna Sauro was the featured speaker, describing how she battled stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“I have learned that life is a gift,” she said.
“I no longer see cancer as a battle, but as a journey – one that has reshaped how I live, how I think, and how I connect with others.”
What helped her get through this journey was an “incredible support system” of her husband, family, and friends, and the inspiration of Terry Fox.
“I found strength in the legacy of Terry Fox,” Sauro recalled.
“Terry, who faced his own battle with cancer, inspired me every day to keep pushing forward. He showed all of us that cancer doesn’t define us.”
“Terry’s determination, his grit, and his unwavering hope gave me the strength to face my toughest moments. I would often think of him during my treatments, reminding myself that Terry kept going through, running through pain and exhaustion. And that I could keep going too.”
Terry Fox dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic Ocean on April 12, 1980 to begin his Marathon of Hope. He completed 5,373 km before he was forced to quit about five months in, when his cancer returned.
This year, the annual Terry Fox Run took place in close to 600 communities across the country.
The Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $900 million and funded 1,300 cancer research projects.
Donations can still be made online after the run with the money going to the foundation which supports innovative research to find cures for cancers.
READ ALSO: A mother’s story
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Two Terry Fox runs raise thousands in Langley
