Terry Fox Run - One Day. Your Way.

Rob Murray: I’m speaking with Jack Gray, Event Organizer for Canmore’s Terry Fox Run. This is a milestone year for the Terry Fox Run.

Jack Gray: It’s the 40th anniversary. Unfortunately, it has taken on a different setup this year because of COVID-19, but it’s still important that we still honour a great Canadian hero and raise much needed funds for cancer research .

RM: The need is still is as great as ever, COVID-19 or not, isn’t it?

JG: You bet, especially this year. A lot of people are going to have different priorities and that’s quite understandable, but the need is still there. It’s important that we continue to raise funds for cancer.

RM: What is the run date this year?

JG: Sunday, September 20^th.

RM: How is it going to work this year with COVID-19?

JG: This year it has been dubbed ‘One Day. Your Way.’ We want people to still register as they normally would on the Terry Fox website. and it’ll direct you to the Canmore run. What we want people to do is either run on their own, run with their family, or a small group of friends. It’ll be quite different this year, but it can still be quite impactful.

RM: Why have you taken such an active role in the Canmore run? What drives you?

JG: I’ve been involved with Terry Fox runs for the last 10 years. I lived overseas in Singapore for seven years and I started a Terry Fox run there. As well, when I relocated to Houston, I got a run going there. Both of those runs are still going. I’m a proud Canadian and Terry Fox is a Canadian hero. I think this was just a way to honor him, so when I relocated back to Alberta, I wanted to continue to give and support the cause.

RM: This is cross country, right? So the Banff run would be included in this virtual idea?

JG: Yes, all runs are virtual this year.

RM: I’m speaking now with Michelle Fuller. How many years have you done the Terry Fox Run?

Michelle Fuller: This will be my 15^th year.

RM: You’re doing something really special this year, aren’t you?

MF: I’ve decided that I would do Kilometres for Terry. My husband and I started tracking our kilometres. When I looked back to see when I started tracking, it was actually April 12^th, which is the day Terry dipped his toe in the Atlantic Ocean 40 years ago. I decided to track until September 20^th, which is the actual run date.

RM: How many kilometers have you run so far?

MF: On September 1^st we broke 1,610 kilometres, which is 1000 miles. The coincidence there is that is the date that Terry had to stop his run 40 years ago because this cancer had returned.

RM: You’re a cancer survivor yourself, aren’t you?

MF: I am. In 1999, I was diagnosed with maxillary sinus cancer. I had a very invasive surgery where I lost my eye, my cheek bones, my orbital contents, most of the roof of my mouth, my upper five teeth, and part of my skull. Then I was cancer free, and in 2011 my husband and I moved to Canmore. In 2012, my cancer came back to the lower left lobe of my lung and a couple of tumors in my brain. I had my lower left lobe removed, and then I had radiation to the brain and another five months of chemo. The cancer came back in back in my right lung and I had my right lung removed. Right now I’m cancer free.

RM: Has Terry Fox’s legacy inspired you along the way?

MF: Absolutely. After my initial cancer bout it took about five years to regain my health and just the excitement for life again. I was looking at a way to give back and I remembered a meeting that I had when I was in PEI, which is where I grew up. I was 11 years old and Terry Fox was running across Canada. That was the  first time I ever heard the word cancer. He came to our school and I was chosen out of our school to present him with the money that we raised. He actually gave me his autograph and I got to shake his hand. I thought I needed to give back to the Terry Fox Foundation, so I speak at schools and special events about my association with Terry Fox and what they’ve done for cancer research.

RM: That’s amazing that you actually got to meet Terry Fox. What was he like in person?

MF: I just remember him being such a young, good looking guy, and I felt so sorry that he had lost his leg. That’s the first time I ever saw anybody with a prostheses as well. He was just kind, dedicated, and driven.

RM: If people would like to pledge you go, how can they go about doing that?

MF: Through the Fuller’s Fighters link. My goal is $12,000. If anybody wants to donate I would really appreciate it, and anything over $20 you’ll get a tax receipt. But anybody can sign up and do their own run or wherever they like – on a bike, or roller blades. When I was involved in the runs in Edmonton, I used to roller blade the path. Do whatever suits you for sure.