Heather Wright/The Independent

People across Canada laced up their shoes Sunday to finish the race started by Terry Fox.

The BC man started running across Canada in April 1980. His quest was cut short when the cancer which had claimed his leg returned when he reached Thunder Bay.

After his death, every day Canadians who admired Fox’s courage and heart, took up the cause to raise money for cancer research.

Across Canada over $850 million has been raised over the last 45 years of Terry Fox Runs.

In Lambton, families in Alvinston, like Heather, Paul and Ruby Fulton, below, walked from the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre to AW Campbell Park down Shiloh Line in the hot afternoon sun. Together, they raised $10,000.

In Petrolia, there was an early morning warm up before the run began with The Ribbon of Life. Cancer survivors who walk are called Terry’s Team and in Petrolia, they carry a red ribbon over the starting line to symbolicly start the event.

All kinds of cyclists, including parents with small children, right, join the 5 or 10k around Petrolia.

And there were lots of runners, big and small making their way around the course that started at the Greenwood Recreation Centre.

So far, organizer Steve McGrail, says about $31,000 has been raised. The donations will continued to be tallied online for a couple of months. McGrail calls the effort of the 235 people involved “incredible” adding he’s “proud to live in this community.”

In Sarnia, people gathered at the Terry Fox Loop in Canatara Park to take part in the run. That event raised over $60,000. Organizer Maria Varsava said it was a “beautiful sight” watching the park fill up for the run. “Your participation and support for the Terry Fox run was amazing.”

Dresden completes its Marathon for a Million, raising over $1 million in 30 years

Long-time Dresden Terry Fox Committee member Cindy Brewer could not contain her excitement as she wrote out how much money Dresden had raised for cancer research. “It starts with a one!”

Sunday at noon, Brewer, who had organized the event for 25 years and returned this year to help, wrote out the total, $1,057,012, giving a big whoop after writing the number one.

Organizers had called the 30th Dresden run “The Marathon
to a Million.” From 1996 to 2024, the community brought in $921,617.24. The most money raised at the local run was
about $70,000 in 2023. But the organizers never doubted the town would break the million mark this year.

On the 30th run in the town with just over 2,400 people, $142,188.65 was raised, bringing the total to $1,063,835.89.

One of the big reasons Dresden was able surpass its 2025 goal
of $78,000 was a gift from long- time Terry Fox Run supporter and volunteer, the late Gary Carroll. His estate released a gift of $75,000 for the Dresden Terry Fox Run at the event. Meg Robinson, the chair of the local committee, said it was the single largest gift the local run had ever received.

Robinson adds this year’s total of over $142,000 will increase. Several Enbridge employees, including Robinson, participate in the run each year. The company matches their donations. The local firefighters have yet to tally their donation as well.

Dresden’s million dollar contribution to cancer research was recognized by Terry’s brother, Fred, with a video message. “That’s amazing. It’s incredible. So thank you.

“That comes through a lot of hard work and commitment …and you need to know that your efforts, your hard work by the volunteers and participants and donors is truly making a difference to so many people diagnosed with cancer.”

That difference was visible at the Dresden event. More than a dozen people wearing the Red Shirts of Terry’s Team – survivors of cancer – were on hand. Mike Veenema was diagnosed 24 years ago with the same type of cancer as Terry Fox. Veenema recalled lying in a hospital bed not knowing what his future looked like.

He was treated and was doing well for eight years until his leg became infected and Veenema made the difficult decision to have it amputated.

Today, he lives a full life. “There’s really not anything I can think of that I can’t do if I put my mind to it,” he said Sunday.

“It’s going on 24 years since I was diagnosed …I’m here today
to talk about it,” he said crediting doctors and support from his family, friends and his community.

“I’ve been blessed with four kids and a life that I never thought that I could dream of when I was laying in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.

“So I feel extremely blessed with the life I’ve been able to live after cancer.

And again, it’s thanks to support like this. It all helps.”