Terrance Stanley Fox, dubbed as Terry Fox, was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist. He had one of his legs amputated. He is known for his famous cross-country marathon of hope to raise awareness about cancer.
Isadore Sharp, the owner of the Four Seasons hotels, was one of Fox’s earliest supporters. He donated a huge amount of money for cancer research and promised him that he would hold a run in his name to raise money for this noble cause.
Fox agreed but he said that this run would be non-competitive, where no one was a winner or a loser and the participants could run, walk or ride. Hence became the annual Terry fox run for cancer research which targeted to raise funds for cancer research.
After Fox died in 1981 due to cancer, Sharp held the first Terry Fox Run on September 13, 1981 which managed to be a huge success and attracted more than $500 million (Dh1.83 billion) in donations from the participants. Since then it has been held every year in over 60 countries worldwide to remind everyone that Fox’s sacrifice was not in vain. Unlike all major fund-raising events, the Terry Fox Run has no sponsors as Fox himself believed that if he accepted endorsements from multinational companies, he would deviate from his goal of raising public awareness.
Through this report I would like to convey the message that cancer is a deadly disease and strikes when least expected. The affected victims are not responsible for their condition so we should have sympathy for them and do as much as we can to help them recover.
The Terry Fox Run has been held in the UAE for many years. This year, it was scheduled to be held on April 19 at 8am in Dubai Festival City.
I encouraged all readers to join the walk and indulge in the philanthropic urge in their hearts. I participated and volunteered in this run last year and this year was my second consecutive year, working for a good cause in memory of Terry Fox.
The reader is a grade eight student of Delhi Private School, Sharjah
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