Terry Fox's spirit reaches Indonesia

Terry Fox's spirit reaches Indonesia

By Jim Plouffe

JAKARTA (JP): Although cancer is monstrously effective at
killing, one thing it cannot do is shatter hope. No one has
proved this better than a young Canadian named Terry Fox, who
fought the dreaded disease without pause for the last four years
of his life. His spirit has continued both the fight and the hope
for a cure since he succumbed to bone cancer in 1981.

Now, 15 years after Canadians first hit the pavement to carry
on Terry Fox's "Marathon of Hope", Indonesia has fittingly become
the 50th country to join the fight against cancer by holding a
Terry Fox Run on the country's 50th anniversary of independence.
The run, organized by the Canadian Embassy, the Indonesia Canada
Business Council, the Canadian Women's Association, the Canadian
Alumni in Indonesia, Yayasan Kanker Indonesia and The Regent
Jakarta, will help raise money for the treatment of cancer in
Indonesia.

Cancer cannot silence courage.

At the age of 18, Fox's right leg was amputated six inches
above the knee in an attempt to stop the cancer. While
recuperating in hospital, Fox saw the suffering and courage of
other patients and pledged to do something about the chronic lack
of cancer research funding. He decided to run across Canada with
the hope of raising one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million
inhabitants.

On April 12, 1980, Fox dipped his artificial leg into the
Atlantic Ocean in St. John's Newfoundland and started running
westward. He ran 42 kilometers a day for the next 143 days -- the
equivalent of a marathon each day for almost five months.

After covering 5,565 km, the cancer spread to Fox's lungs and
forced him to stop near Thunder Bay, Ontario, over halfway home.

Counsellor G.E. Rishchynski from the Canadian Embassy in
Jakarta compares it to running from Banda Aceh to Irian Jaya. "He
basically made it to Flores," explained Rishchynski.

Terry Fox died on June 28, 1981, one month before his 23rd
birthday. He had reached his fund-raising goal five months
earlier.

Cancer cannot destroy peace.

At 7:00 a.m this Sunday, Sept. 17, the Terry Fox run's
organizing committee hope that at least 1,500 people will shatter
the city's early morning calm by pulling on their running shoes,
jumping on their bikes or lacing on their rollerblades to cover
the five and 10 kilometer courses.

Canadian Ambassador Lawrence Dickenson, who admitted during an
interview with The Jakarta Post that this will be the first time
he has participated in a Terry Fox Run, will officially open the
event with Minister for Youth and Sports Hayono Isman at The
Regent Jakarta on Jl. Rasuna Said. The run will start and finish
at the hotel.

"Indonesia has become the 50th country to join the run which
has become a symbol of a phenomenal Canadian charitable
experience. That is what I find so exciting about it personally.
This is not about big government, this is not about big business,
it is about individuals making a difference. And I think that is
far more than just symbolism, it is something quite concrete,"
said Dickenson, who has been training every weekend and will walk
the five kilometer course.

Cancer cannot suppress memories

The event has expanded to 50 countries -- from Australia to
Zimbabwe -- since the first run was held 15 year ago. In 1981
there were 800 run sites, 4,000 volunteers and 300,000
participants. Last year there were 3,600 run sites, 16,600
volunteers and 600,000 participants who raised US$9.4 million for
innovative cancer research. So far, $144 million has been donated
in the memory of Terry Fox.

The Jakarta appeal has already raised over Rp 50 million in
corporate sponsorship, but the organizers are aiming for at least
Rp 100 million to enable Yayasan Kanker Indonesia to fight cancer
in Indonesia.

"I should underline that all the monies that will be made
during the run and the walk will stay in Indonesia and will go
for the fight against cancer," stressed Dickenson.

The Rp 5,000 individual registration fee will mostly go toward
the T-shirt, sun visor and breakfast that the run's host, The
Regent Jakarta, will provide for every participant. The bulk of
the money will come from donations.

"The (Canadian) business associations have been very active in
seeking corporate donations from their membership and encouraging
their own staff to come out. It is meant to be fun," the Canadian
Ambassador said.

Cancer cannot kill friendship

Stressing that it is not a race but a family event based on
friendship, Diana Moxon from The Regent said that the five
kilometer course will run from the hotel over to Jl. M.H. Thamrin
and up to the traffic circle in front of Plaza Indonesia and then
back to the hotel. The 10 km route will continue on from the
traffic circle to loop around Monas before returning to the
hotel. Because it is not a race, it really doesn't matter how far
each participant gets, just as long as they are there and enjoy
themselves.

"All of the clubs or associations that bring Canadians
together are a part of the coordinating team, so they will have a
lot of members out," said Dickenson, making it sound more like a
challenge than a statement.

He added that "the run is something that certainly grips the
Canadian community every September. It has become part of our
culture actually, part of the social fabric of the country."

The Terry Fox Foundation, which was established in 1988 to
coordinate the massive undertaking, doesn't only raise money for
cancer research. It also spreads the remarkable story of Terry
Fox across the world in the hope that young people can derive
inspiration from his courage and be enriched by his example.

To make the morning more successful, Moxon asks anyone
wanting to participate in the event to enroll before Sunday at
Yayasan Kanker Indonesia, the business center at The Regent
Jakarta or at any Clarke Hatch Fitness Center. Registration at
the run will begin at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday with the start being
sounded at 7:00 a.m. Anyone who simply wants to donate to the
cause, can sponsor a runner or drop the donation off at the
places listed above.