Donald Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Sept. 17, 2017
The annual Terry Fox Run took place on Sunday, and with it, another opportunity to honour the fight put up by those who’ve battled cancer, while helping fund research for a cure.
Raising around $6,000, participants walked, ran, rode bikes and in the case of strollers, rolled through the 10 km track through Shawville, starting and ending at Pontiac High School.
Richard Valin, who organizes the event alongside John Petty, said that this year was extra special for Shawville because of the loss of some of the town’s heroes to the disease. The event was also meaningful for him personally as his sister-in-law had recently been diagnosed with cancer again.
Volunteering in palliative care, Valin said he sees the disease in nine out of ten patients he helps, because it takes a patient much slower than heart disease or other illnesses.
“Cancer is a difficult time,” he said.
Valin, though he has already had many friends and some family members affected by cancer, has a simple enough reason to continue to fight.
“If you live long enough you’re going to get it,” he said.
Rattling off name after name, Valin didn’t have a second to hesitate before remembering someone else he knew who suffered or is currently fighting cancer. One friend, he shared, had just been diagnosed the morning of the run.
So, through his best efforts and Petty’s tireless work, plus all their volunteers, Valin seeks to keep the charity and tradition alive in Shawville.
“One of the things we’re finding [about] the memory of Terry Fox is … that kids today in high school have to be reminded of who he is, why he’s Canada’s number one hero,” said Valin. “So John and I gave a speech to the students, and the teachers also gave a speech, on the importance of Terry Fox and the walk on Thursday.”
As well as hosting a public event last Sunday, PHS also hosts a student walk on Thursday, Sept. 21, accepting donations from students in support of the cause. PHS principal Debra Stephens said she knows it’s significant to keep the race going within the younger generations because it teaches them valuable lessons.
“It’s important for students to look beyond themselves and get a worldview,” said Stephens.
Valin said that the importance for this community’s race lays not in raising funds, but participation, because he knows more densely populated areas the world over are helping fund the fight, too.
“I was in Tokyo and there were signs for Terry Fox,” said Valin. “It has become a worldwide event because it’s not just a local disease.”
Donations will be accepted until October for this year’s fundraising and can still be made at the banks in Shawville.
