“Somewhere the Hurting Must Stop” – Terry Fox

In a week where we are reminded to recall “where we were when…” I can still vividly remember the summer that I followed Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope, my 12-year-old crush growing with each passing mile he ran. I also remember the equally crushing and powerful news conference he gave in Thunder Bay when he announced that his cancer had returned and that he had to stop his run. And I recall with equally crushing sadness the announcement the following summer that our dear Terry had succumbed to cancer, marking the end of his run and the start of ours. Our whole family participated in that very first Terry Fox Run held in Canatara Park in Sarnia. My dear parents walked the 10 km’s but my sister Jenny and I ran them earnestly. Do you remember that first run?

A lot has happened in the years since Terry’s Marathon of Hope. Not unlike everyone I know, I have witnessed the passing of too many friends and family at the merciless hands of cancer. Their memory drives me to participate in the yearly run and I have to admit that this year’s was a tough one for me. I just got back from our run held at Ashbridge’s Bay here in Toronto – a lovely location for this event, as you can see from the iPhone pictures I snapped above. At registration, we were given a card to fill out and pin to our shirts. It started with “I am running for…” and after writing down “Terry” I filled out other names near and dear to me. And I cried. A lot. So I made a hasty exit from registration and found my way to the boardwalk and started my run (walk) where I could be teary in relative peace. I start my walk early each year just for this reason. Not often given to tears, I cannot seem to control them on this one occasion. I guess I am walking with some pretty powerful memories that keep me company, and that is ok. Terry was right. Somewhere the hurting must stop.

I thought it appropriate to end this post with the whole quote from Terry’s letter to The Canadian Cancer Society which he wrote before he started The Marathon of Hope. In this letter he talks about his motivation to run based on his time spent at the cancer clinic during treatment. These few compassion-filled lines have endeared Terry to me for life and truly reflect the poignant words selected for this year’s run campaign you see above: courage, determination, inspiration, belief, spirit, character and sacrifice. This is what Terry wrote:

“There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. My quest would not be a selfish one. I could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be set free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop… and I was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause.”  (from www.terryfox.org)

If you would like to learn more about Terry’s legacy, please visit The Terry Fox Foundation where I know a donation would be appreciated! I would also like to thank Linda Trayhurn for her donation on my pledge page this morning. Linda, I saw this at my halfway mark and your generous act of kindness lifted my spirits and got me home today. Thank you!