Latest news with #TerryFox
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Special Olympics athlete leads annual head-shaving fundraiser for cancer research
Jason Helmond getting his head shaved during his annual 'Razors of Hope' fundraiser in Barrie, Ont., on Sat., May 31, 2025. A Special Olympics athlete from Simcoe County led his annual 'Razors of Hope' fundraiser at Barrie City Hall Saturday morning as he and others shaved their heads for cancer research. Jason Helmond, a bronze medal winner at the 2024 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games in Calgary, was first inspired in 2016 to do a head shave for the Terry Fox Foundation. 'One year, he just came to me and said, 'Mom, I want to shave my head for Terry,'' said Michelle Helmond, Jason's mother. 'Last year we managed to raise $9,200 and change, so we're hoping that when all is said and done that we at least raise $10,000.' Members of the Barrie Police Service and John Brassard, local MP, were among Jason's proud supporters. Saturday morning's fundraiser was also a tribute to Bill Vigars, Fox's fundraising manager and dear friend, who died this past October at the age of 78. 'It's just very exciting to see all the support and the love that I have from my community. I just want to say thank you to everyone who showed up,' said Jason Helmond. 'We all need to find a cure for cancer.' 'I couldn't be more proud of him,' added his mother. 'He has always proved everybody wrong. When we found out he had Down syndrome, a lot of people just kind of put that label on him, and he has been proving year after year that nothing is stopping him, including raising money for Terry Fox and for cancer.' This year marks 45 years since Fox's 'Marathon of Hope,' and his foundation has since raised more than $900 million toward cancer research.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Terry Fox's brother visits Saskatchewan schools
Terry Fox's brother visits Saskatchewan schools WATCH: Terry Fox's brother, Fred Fox, is visiting Saskatchewan schools to carry on his brother's legacy. Fruzsina De Cloedt has the story.
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘His story impacts everyone' Terry Fox's brother visits Yorkton school to continue family's legacy
Fred Fox talks about the life of his brother, Terry Fox at St. Paul's School in Yorkton on Wednesday. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News) Fred Fox, Terry Fox's brother, is stopping in several communities across Saskatchewan this week to carry on his family's legacy of inspiring a nation to hope for a cancer-free future. After learning that St. Paul's School in Yorkton had been organizing Terry Fox runs for 15 years, the Terry Fox Foundation contacted the school to make sure they got a visit. 'There's close to 10,000 schools in Canada that have Terry Fox runs, so I can't get to all of them. I get to about 100 or 120 every year,' Fox said. The gym was full at St. Paul's School on Wednesday morning. Students were sitting on the ground, chatting excitedly about the upcoming presentation. After a brief introduction from Principal Quinn Haider, Fred Fox took the stage and started telling the story of his brother, Terry. Fred Fox Fred Fox, Terry Fox's brother, visited St. Paul's School in Yorkton on Wednesday. (Fruzsina De Cloedt / CTV News) From childhood photos to reports from his famous run in 1980, he covered it all. One could hear a needle drop in the gym as the children listened to the story. Terry Fox's dream 45 years ago was to run across Canada to end cancer. His Marathon of Hope ended early when his cancer returned, but the momentum has continued. Evan Weber, a student in the audience, told CTV News that he loves hearing about Terry Fox. 'His story impacts everyone very well and it helps cancer research excel,' Weber said. Fox said he is inspired watching the children since they're a new generation that could carry his brother's work further. 'They potentially could be the next researcher, being funded by the money that's being raised [through the runs].' Weber said he may become a scientist one day, but he's not sure. Whatever the future holds for these young people, one thing is for sure. The tenacity of Fox brought a nation together and inspired many people to 'finish it,' 'He was having a really tough day, and he wrote in his in his journal, 'If I quit now, I'll be letting so many people down',' Fred quoted from his brother's journal. 'That's why Terry Fox was running. To help other people.' St. Paul's School in Yorkton plans to continue organizing Terry Fox runs to raise funds for those touched by cancer, in hopes of helping to finish what he started 45 years ago.
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Terry Fox Run to return to the Confederation Bridge
Atlantic Watch The annual Terry Fox Run for cancer research will mark its 45th anniversary this year by returning to the Confederation Bridge.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
45th anniversary of Terry Fox Run to return to P.E.I.'s Confederation Bridge this September
For the first time in a decade, the Terry Fox Run for cancer research is headed back to the bridge that links Prince Edward Island with the rest of Canada. The Terry Fox Foundation announced that the 45th anniversary of the event will take place Sept. 21 on the Confederation Bridge. Organizers held a flag-raising at Charlottetown's city hall on Monday to officially kick off the event, and to mark 45 years to the day that Fox stopped in P.E.I.'s capital city during his cross-Canada run. "We thought it's a great way to launch our event, since primarily the participants are from the Island," said Jamie Young, co-ordinator of the 2025 Confederation Bridge Run. "It just seemed like a fitting place to do it and a fitting time." Fox began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, after dipping his artificial leg into the harbour in St. John's, N.L. His mission was to run across Canada raising money for cancer research after the disease had previously claimed his right leg. A little over a month later, Fox arrived in P.E.I. via ferry and spent the next three days running across the Island, where his fundraising efforts surpassed $100,000. He eventually ran 5,373 kilometres in 143 days, but was forced to stop outside Thunder Bay, Ont., on Sept. 1, 1980, when doctors confirmed cancer had spread to his lungs. Fox died less than a year later, one month before his 23rd birthday. 'Finish what he started' The Terry Fox Run has been held on the Confederation Bridge three previous times — in 2005, 2010 and 2015 — before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be postponed in 2020. The bridge will be closed to all traffic between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sept. 21. Regular vehicle traffic will resume immediately after the run. "As the starting point of his Marathon of Hope 45 years ago, Atlantic Canada was an incredibly special part of Terry's journey," Fred Fox, Terry's older brother, is quoted as saying in a news release. "The return of the Terry Fox Run on Confederation Bridge in 2025 is not only a celebration of Terry's legacy, but a heartfelt reminder of the unity and support that these communities offered him and an opportunity for Canadians to once again come together and help to finish what he started." Young said this year's event, which will see a rare closure of the bridge for a non-weather related event, is expected to attract upwards of 10,000 participants. People can run or walk either the full 13-kilometre span, or a distance of their choosing, and they can start from either end of the bridge. Registration is now open and free of charge, but advance registration is required.
