Shelburne residents rally for cancer research in 43rd Terry Fox Run 

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Shelburne residents will show their support for cancer survivors and the search for a cure as they participate in the 43rd annual Terry Fox Run. 

The local Terry Fox Run will be held in Shelburne on Sept. 17 between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., with the walk starting at Natasha Patterson Memorial Park. Participants will have the option to do a 5 km or 10 km route for the Terry Fox Run, or they can also walk laps on the track located at the park. 

“We continue to increase our number of participants every year and we've noticed a lot of newcomers to town coming out as well. We hope this run will really bring our community closer together,” said Taylor Wallace, co-organizer of the Shelburne Terry Fox Run. 

The Wallace family has been organizing the Terry Fox Run in Shelburne for more than a decade, with family matriarch Joan Wallace, a cancer survivor, leading the way. 

In 1978, at the same time Terry Fox was facing his fight with cancer, Joan Wallace was facing her own battle. Diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and ovarian cancer, she underwent radiation therapy in 1978, chemotherapy in 1979, and numerous surgeries. 

“I hope that continuing the Terry Fox Run each year gives a little bit of courage to those in Shelburne who have or have had cancer. The same courage that Joan was able to feel when she saw Terry Fox. It obviously helped give her the inspiration to continue her fight, watching him continue his fight,” said Wallace. “I hope it continues to also give everybody in Shelburne a little boost to help each other and to be kind to one another.” 

Thus far, the local event has seen around 27 individuals register to participate in the run, but Wallace said they expect to see between 40 and 50 people sign up on the day of. 

Last year, the Shelburne Terry Fox Run raised nearly $10,000 for cancer research, and this year, the organizers are hoping to surpass the 2022 donation total. At the time of print, the Shelburne Terry Fox Run has raised almost $5,000. 

“Hopefully the proceeds we get on the day of the run will get us there,” said Wallace. 

Terry Fox embarked on his Marathon of Hope in St. John's, Newfoundland, on April 12, 1980. After running nearly 42 kilometres a day for 143 days (a total of 5,373 kilometres), on Sept. 1, 1980, he was forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay, Ont. because cancer had appeared in his lungs. Terry Fox died on June 28, 1981, at the age of 22. 

To date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $850 million for cancer research and funded 1,300 innovative cancer research projects. 

To find out more information, to register to participate in the run, and to donate, visit the Terry Fox Foundation website at www.terryfox.org