Abu Dhabi: The annual Terry Fox Run continues to raise funds for critical cancer research.
For cancer patients, for example, chemotherapy is an arduous process and there is no way of knowing if the powerful drugs with numerous side effects will be effective in attacking and killing cancerous tissue. But an ongoing project at UAE University aims to reduce the harmful effects and maximise the effectiveness of such therapy.
“We hope to use viruses to deliver the drugs to the targeted cells. In this way, we could decrease the chance of killing normal body tissue,” Dr Frank Branicki, chair of surgery at UAE University’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences, told Gulf News.
He was speaking at a press conference held to announce the 20th edition of the Terry Fox Run in Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled for Friday. The research project is one of 16 initiatives that are being funded by the Dh3 million collected from previous Terry Fox Runs in the UAE.
“This year is a year of celebration for the Abu Dhabi run, which has grown from just 100 people during its first edition in 1995 to nearly 20,000 people in 2015. It is in fact the largest run conducted outside Canada, where it started,” said Nafisa Taha, chair of the event’s organising committee.
The run began when Terry Fox, a 22-year-old Canadian whose leg had to be amputated due to osteosarcoma (bone cancer), embarked on the Marathon of Hope in 1980. Fox’s goal for his cross-Canada run was to raise funds for cancer research and awareness. After 143 days of running, he was forced to abandon the initiative due to the cancer spreading, and he eventually died of the disease a few months later.
Since then, however, subsequent runs across the world have raised more than $650 million (Dh2.3 billion) for the cause. The UAE runs have themselves raised about Dh15 million, and supported 58 cancer research projects.
Friday’s run will extend for 8.5 kilometres on the East Plaza of Abu Dhabi Corniche, and is expected to start at 10am.
Taha encouraged families to attend the event and support a worthy cause.
“Last year, we collected Dh830,000 on the day of the run itself, and all of it was used for combating cancer. We hope to continue in this vein at this year’s event as well,” she said.
