A five kilometre run through St. Paul on a cool and windy Sunday afternoon was no small feat for one local couple, who finished the Sept. 19 Terry Fox Run with David Hinz proclaiming the trek “flipping tough.” But in the end, he knew the test was only a fraction of what was once faced by Fox.
“I was 17 when he did (the run),” recalled Hinz, who still remembers watching the images of Fox and his uneven jog on one artificial leg as he tried to cross Canada to raise funds for cancer research. Hinz says he has run a marathon and knows firsthand how hard it can be, but remains stunned by the fact Fox ran a marathon day after day, before ultimately dying of the cancer with which he had been diagnosed while part way through his journey.
“What I’m going through is nothing compared to what he endured.”
The run is something Hinz and Dany Anne Fournier do “for honour and respect” of Fox’s legacy, said Fournier, adding, “He inspired the whole nation, and I think, the whole world.” Rain or snow, Hinz said he would have still come out as he does every year to participate.
For many who attended the run, which started at St. Paul Recreation Centre, it was a meaningful event, since many had been personally touched by cancer. Fournier notes her mother, father, and best friend have all died from the disease, and she regularly takes part in events like the Terry Fox Run and the Weekend to End Breast Cancer walk to raise funds for cancer research. “We do what we can.”
Perennial top fundraiser Robert Pruneau once again set the bar high with $3,045 raised, to help St. Paul’s run collect just under $6,000 for the cause, according to a rough early estimate.
Scott Walker, recreation director for the Town of St. Paul, said organizers and volunteers were concerned that the unfriendly weather and grey skies would dampen turnout, but about 40 people still came out and “pulled through” to complete the route.
“It just shows you how much St. Paul people care,” Walker said.
As both Hinz and Fournier work for Alberta Health Services, they can attest to the fact better treatments for cancer are available all the time, thanks to the research on cancer that is underway.
But as for a cure, Hinz is more cautious about what will happen. “We don’t know – we hope.”
