Terry Fox Run aims to generate Rs 1 crore for cancer research

Mumbai: The 14th Terry Fox Run, that will see between 5,000 to 7,000 school children from 40 schools taking part on February 5, aims to raise Rs one crore for child cancer research by the Tata Memorial Hospital.

"We have already collected Rs 94-95 lakh and are hoping to raise Rs 1 crore. The money would go to the Tata Memorial Hospital to carry on research in cancer among children," said Gul Kripalini, of the Terry Fox India Committee. Born in Canada, Terry Fox was an active teenager involved in many sports but when he was 18 he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and was forced to have his right leg amputated above the knee. While in hospital, he saw the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, which made him decide to run coast-to-coast across Canada to raise money for cancer research and called his journey "Marathon of Hope". Tragically, he died soon after but an annual event, the Terry Fox Run, was born with thousands of volunteers organising the events in Canada and around the world. Kripalani said that Rs six lakh had been raised by children of a school here, which he refused to identify, while a matching amount had been raised by the management of the same school for cancer research this year. "It`s not a competitive race and would begin at Nariman Point and go till the Marine Drive flyover before the runners would turn back and finish the race at the Brabourne Stadium, a total distance of around 3 to 3.5 kms," he said. PTI