Martin C. Barry
The second Terry Fox Run for cancer research held in Laval since 2004 raised nearly $5,000 for the cause. “The 2018 Terry Fox Run Day Laval held this past Sunday Sept. 16 in Parc des Prairies was a great day and a great success,” said the event’s chief organizer Jeffrey Marshall.
People from Laval and from all over were invited to walk or run at the family oriented non-competitive event. While many schools in Laval hold Terry Fox Runs for their students, this was one of the first Terry Fox Runs to be held in Laval in nearly 15 years.
Participation up
“We had twice as many participants and volunteers versus last year for a total of just over 100 attendees,” said Marshall. “We had family and local Lavallers supporting the runners and walkers – everybody enjoyed the event and we expect most to return next year.
“We are very thankful to once again have had permission to use this beautiful park – a real gem for Laval and the Laval-des-Rapides sector,” he added. “We thank the special guests (including Mme. Eva Nassif, Mr. David De Cotis and Mr. Paolo Galati) and the people that supported the day and of course all of the participants.”
Elected officials take part
Despite the fact she was suffering from a foot injury that hadn’t yet entirely healed, Vimy Liberal MP Eva Nassif walked the course. “This is one of the biggest fundraising causes in the world,” she said in an interview with the Laval News. “We are all at some point touched by cancer, whether it’s family, a relative, a neighbor. We hope for a day when there is a cancer-free world.”
De Cotis pointed out that many buildings, parks, schools and other landmarks have been named after Terry Fox in the 37 years since he made his historic run. “This marathon is a marathon of hope, and our hope is that it ends up raising enough funds to put an end to cancer,” he said.
Incredible results
Participants in this year’s Laval Terry Fox Run could raise money online at terryfoxrun.org, by gathering pledges from family and friends, or by submitting a donation on the day of the run. The efforts of Terry Fox Run participants have yielded incredible results.
Since 1999, the Terry Fox Foundation has financed over $50 million dollars for cancer research projects in Quebec. For those that wish to make a donation to the Terry Fox Foundation and the Laval Terry Fox Run can still do so by calling 1-888-836-9786 or on-line at: https://www.terryfox.ca/journeeterryfox/laval-fr, or at https://www.terryfox.ca/terryfoxrun/laval.
