Abu Dhabi: More than 18,000 people congregated at the capital's Corniche on Friday for the annual Terry Fox Run, transforming the waterfront into a place of colour and music.
The run, which collects funds to support cancer research and is in its 17th edition in Abu Dhabi, saw participants cover 8.5 kilometres along the corniche. It was organised under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, the President's Adviser.
While most participants contributed to the cause by buying T-shirts, quite a few monetary donations were also made, Nafisa Taha, chair of the Abu Dhabi Terry Fox run organising committee, told Gulf News. Organisers said Dh267,400 was raised in this year's edition.
"This year's largest single contribution came from an anonymous donor who gave Dh100,000," said Taha, who is also a founding member of the run's Abu Dhabi leg. The funds collected from the annual runs, which have been organised in the capital since 1995, have been used to support 42 local cancer research initiatives.
"This year, four new research projects have been chosen. The researchers will receive a total of Dh1.5 million over the next three years. While two of the projects look at ways to prevent and treat various cancers, the others look specifically into breast cancer and skin cancer," Taha explained.
"It is also heartwarming that five schools organised their own mini Terry Fox runs for their students this year. Every dirham we collect from these events is important in the fight against the deadly disease," she added.
While some participants were attending for the first time, others were old-timers. Hajer Al Tenaiji, a 27-year-old Emirati professional, said she was participating with five of her colleagues and her four-year-old son. "This is a noble cause and with cancer becoming a growing concern in the UAE, any effort to further research is worthwhile," Hajer said.
Dr Noman Kader, 50, an environmental manager from Pakistan whose 10-year-old son has been participating in the Terry Fox run since 2007, added that the event stressed the importance of research in combating the disease.
