Runners told Fox’s legacy lives on because of them
Over $28,000 raised in Kelowna’s annual Terry Fox Run for cancer research
Ayoung student from South America has resumed his kinesiology studies at UBC Okanagan less than a year after receiving a cancer diagnosis.
Joseph Melgarejo de la Cruz, 20, has undergone three surgeries and has a fourth one scheduled.
“After the diagnosis, I lost my hair and I lost a lot of weight,” de la Cruz said Sunday at the annual Terry Fox Run for cancer research at the Mission sports fields in Kelowna. “I want to fight this, because I want to live.
“As Terry did, I want to try to be a hero,” de la Cruz said. “Not for my country, but for my family.”
Run organizers estimated about 800 people turned out for the event, raising about $28,000, with more to come in online donations.
“Terry’s legacy is continuing because of each and every one of you,” organizer Kris Sabourin told the crowd.
Over the past year, de la Cruz’s father, mother and sister have travelled from their home in Peru to spend time with him as he battles cancer. They’ve stayed at the home of Dr. Mary Wall, a general practitioner in oncology with the BC Cancer Agency.
Wall described de la Cruz as her “adopted son” as she praised his courage and determination in confronting cancer, which she said will directly affect the lives of one of every four Canadians in their lifetime.
“None of us are going to go through this life without being touched by cancer,” Wall said, referring to the impact of a person’s cancer diagnosis on one’s friends and family.
Great progress has been made in cancer research since Terry Fox died in 1981, Wall said. But she added it may be appropriate to think of the disease as a chronic condition, much like heart disease or diabetes, for which there is no cure but there are effective management strategies. For his part, de la Cruz intends to live a long and happy life. “I would like to become a doctor,” he said.