Heroism remembered in cancer-research run

Heroism remembered in cancer-research run

By Jim Plouffe

JAKARTA (JP): Heroes are made in a variety of ways: in battle,
through great accomplishments and in legend. Canada's best known
hero meets all the criteria. He is Terry Fox, a perennial
18-year-old with one leg who ran 42 kilometers a day for 143 days
in 1980 to battle against cancer. His journey across Canada came
to an abrupt halt halfway when the cancer spread to his lungs. He
died 10 months later, but only after the Terry Fox Marathon of
Hope had been embedded in the Canadian psyche.

Now, 16 years after his heroic deed, the Marathon of Hope has
spread to 52 countries worldwide and has raised US$125 million
for cancer research. Tomorrow at 7 a.m. the Regent hotel will
hold the second annual Terry Fox run in Jakarta to raise funds
for the Indonesian Cancer Foundation and awareness of a disease
which kills over 190,000 Indonesians every year. The Four Seasons
Resort Bali and the Waterbom Park will stage the run in Jimbaran
Bay, Bali on the same day at 4 p.m.

Last year the run raised Rp 67 million for the cancer
foundation and was enjoyed by over 3,000 participants who jogged,
bicycled, in-line skated and walked the five and 10-kilometer
routes. This year, the run's sponsors, who include the Canadian
Embassy and PT Inco, hope to attract the same crowd and raise Rp
100 million. They have already been pledged Rp 60 million.

The sum surpasses what Terry Fox imagined when in April 1980
he dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic to challenge 24
million Canadians to each donate one dollar to cancer research.
In five months he had covered 5,565 kilometers in a loping gait
Canadian schoolchildren dubbed the Terry Fox hop. The distance,
just over the breadth of the Indonesian archipelago, was only
halfway to his goal of reaching the Pacific Ocean, but was more
than enough to realize his dream of helping ease the suffering of
people with cancer. This dream, instilled in him when he lost his
right leg below the knee to bone cancer, drove him through pain,
the legendary Canadian weather and seemingly endless stretches of
lonely road to become what Canadian Ambassador designate Gary
Smith simply terms "a Canadian hero."

In Jakarta, the five-kilometer route will begin at the Regent,
run along the canal to the Landmark Buildings, then head north on
Jl. Thamrin to the Welcome Statue and back to the hotel via Jl.
Imam Bonjol. The 10-kilometer run will extend to Monas. In Bali,
the route is 10 kilometers long and will run from the Four
Seasons Hotel along the beach and then back to the waterpark.
There will be refreshments and entertainment at the end of both
runs.

To register early, a good idea considering the popularity of
the event and the fact that registration in Jakarta begins at
5:30 a.m. on Sunday, telephone the Regent (252 34560, the
Indonesian Cancer Foundation (310 8170) or the Canadian Embassy
(525 0709). Call the Four Seasons Resort (701 010 ext. 8504) to
register in Bali.