A Marathon of Hope
Hornets………It is funny what sometimes triggers a memory… hornets, each and every year at the Terry Fox run we have oranges, apples, MacDonald’s Pies, Tim Bits….little treats for the participants to nibble on when they make their grand entrance over the finish line. But it is the uninvited guests that I remember…the wasps…hornets…by the hundreds…they come in droves…buzzing around, wanting to crawl over the food….driving us nuts……I can picture Wilda Clark fanning them away year after year….Julie…remember your hornet traps…..they always caught one or two…..but the rest …what pests…..but always an annual part of the day.
Well, Julie who would have thought 26 years ago that the little idea you had of helping raise funds for Cancer, by organizing a Terry Fox Run in Uxbridge would have turned into more than a quarter century of dedicated focus, time consuming commitment that touched so many lives. Almost all of us have been touched by cancer through the suffering and loss of family and friends. Julie’s brother had cancer, more than 98% of the population would deal with the disease and the situation then go on with their lives. There are few people who try to make a difference, who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and make the decision to dedicate themselves to a greater cause, and then spend the next untold number of years working towards that cause. Terry Fox was one of those people, he wanted to make a difference. Julie Slater is also one of those people, she has unselfishly dedicated a large part of every year, since 1984 to the Terry Fox Run here in Uxbridge. Even through the traumatic years of her Husband Mark’s illness and ultimate death, dealing with her own health issues, hopping on crutches she carried on with the run, when I know she herself was running on empty. The old line ‘the show must go on’ applied, and the run demanded and never failed to get her devotion. You Julie,…… basically……single handedly…. have kept this thing very much alive here in Uxbridge….at first your family Mark and Matt helped…..but for so many years when it came to the crunch….it was you doing all the running around …..Answering all the calls….going crazy 24/7 at the beginning of each September. I remember the early years and the progression as things grew….all the volunteers it takes to arrange for a smooth run. The people on the route….encouraging, handing out water and oranges…..the drivers…checking to make sure there are no problems…or picking up someone who is hurt. The food…calling organizations for donations…then running around, picking everything up, preparing it , taking it to Bedelia….cutting the oranges and apples, bagging them for each rest stop….the treats for afterwards….then clearing it all up and donating any good leftovers to the food bank the following Monday. Tidy up was always the worst part…wasn’t it? It may have been only noon…but we had started at sun up and were always exhausted. You see, people run the Terry Fox Run in different ways….some people walk, run or cycle the 10 k’s, and some run it in 30 minutes…..others dash in circles organizing, greeting the runners, doing the registration, checking the donation sheets, totalling and balancing the donations, driving, manning the road blocks., manning the start whistle, and the finish line, selling the T shirts, and dozens of other little jobs that make the day run smoothly. And Julie organizes all of that…what an amazing amount of work.
And then there is Ollie Barton, our own cancer survivor, the most amazing person and great supporter of the cause. In early years walking, then walking with her walker whatever amount of pain she was in, always the smile on her face. Julie, you meet and got to know an amazing number of very interesting people in your years at the helm of the run…didn’t you? In recent years Julie has continued to organize this event ….partially because as helpers come on board…or as Julie looked for someone or some organization to take over …..and they realized the mountain of work involved…..and the team of volunteers to organize …they felt it was overwhelming….way too much work. Julie, you, one person, have made a difference…and you have empowered all the Uxbridge and area people who have participated in the Terry Fox Run here to make a difference too…together we have helped support research to bring an end to this terrible disease.
Amazing things can happen with the effort of just one individual, and that is the lesson Terry Fox taught us. Thanks Julie for your dedication to this cause…and for encouraging and inspiring so many Uxbridge area people. Tribute to Julia Aug 25, 2007 at Siloam Orchards |
ABOUT TERRY FOX | Terry Fox was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977. While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. |
Terry was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An active teenager, Terry had been involved in many sports in Port Coquitlam, a community near Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada's west coast, where he was raised He called his journey the Marathon of Hope. Terry Fox was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977. While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Terry was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. An active teenager, Terry had been involved in many sports in Port Coquitlam, a community near Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada's west coast, where he was raised Terry spent 18 months running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare for this monumental task. Starting his run with little fanfare in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 he ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. It was a journey that Canadians have never forgotten. September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. The entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22, this heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy had just begun. The annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world, has raised more than $400 million worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name. |
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