Fundraising Knows No Borders
On Oct. 26, 2019 people from all over Los Angeles came together to honor Terry Fox at the Santa Monica Terry Fox Run to help raise money and awareness for cancer research.
The Santa Monica Terry Fox Run is a 5km race that takes place annually on the Venice Boardwalk, right across from the Shutters Hotel.
Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete and cancer research advocate, who lost his leg in 1977 during his battle with bone cancer at the age of 18 years old. Terry Fox’s first hand battle with cancer inspired him to run the length of Canada, with a prosthetic leg, starting on the east coast in St. John, Newfoundland to raise money for cancer research in what he called the “Marathon of Hope.”
As Terry Fox’s “Marathon of Hope” gained traction, he set a goal of raising one dollar from every Canadian to go towards finding a cure for cancer. His cancer spread, and he had to stop running after 143 days and 3,107 miles, getting as far as Thunder Bay, Ontario. Terry Fox lost his battle to cancer on June 28, 1981 but he inspired something much bigger than himself.
The Terry Fox Foundation, established in 1988, has helped raise more than $750 million for cancer research as a result of the impact one man had.
“Our International Terry Fox Runs have been taking place since 1992," said the Terry Fox Foundation International Director Rhonda Risebrough. "Some started earlier, but that year was really when they became official and we started tracking them… We have Terry Fox Runs in 37 countries and we fund research in about a dozen countries, including Vietnam, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, and the US.”
Although the Terry Fox Runs have taken place all over the world, it wasn’t until last year when former head of YouTube Canada, Dave Brown, decided to start a Terry Fox Run in his own neighborhood of Santa Monica.
“As someone who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017, the initial reaction is shock," said Brown. "I would literally say to myself ‘If Terry Fox can attempt his brazen trail amidst cancer, surely you can attempt to complete this set of push-ups.’ His icon isn't amorphous, it is very tangible, and very real, to those who know his story, and who need a role model to draw strength from.”
Since Brown founded the Santa Monica Terry Fox Run in 2018, the Santa Monica-based run's attendance has grown rapidly. According to Brown, the growth in attendance from the first year to the second year is over 1,110 percent.
By the time The Santa Monica Oct. 27 Terry Fox Run commenced, the race had raised over $10,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
“The disease itself is global. It affects everyone," said Brown. "When I poll our participants at the beginning of the race and ask, 'who here has been affected by cancer, in their families or group of friends?', the answer is unequivocal and unanimous. It's everyone.”
Brown intended to unite members of the Santa Monica Community to support what he believed to be an important cause.
“People need a hero. Terry Fox is a hero," said Brown to crowds at the race. "People who are struggling especially need a hero. Terry Fox is that hero.”