October has become known as the month for communities across Canada to get into the swing of raising money for cancer research. We have the annual Terry Fox Run - a wonderful human being who set across Canada on one good leg and one prosthetic to raise awareness and cash for research in the 80's. Unfortunately, he died at about 20 years old, but left a legacy that has continued to raise millions in donations each year. And then we have Run for the Cure - this one is especially for breast cancer - for the survivors and for the fallen. It's an annual event in towns and cities across Canada. Participants run or walk 5 kms on a brisk and early Sunday morning in early October. Their faces mirror everyone in our midst - young and old, male and female: infants in strollers, exuberant 10 year olds, competitive runners in the front of the pack, grannies huffing along and all of us in between.
Over the years, I have always stood on the sidelines - donated to others to do the running and then watched the newsrooms tot up the money total at the end of the day. This year I took up the invitation to do the real thing.
And it was fun - dressed up in the gear, the runners and a pink boa, joining the throngs to walk 5kms. Everyone wore the uniform: white t-shirt with bright pink Run for the Cure writings. Instead of a runner's number, we wrote the names of those who we were running for - past and present. It was inspiring to see the names: for 'mom', for 'aunt Sarah', for Granny. Runners and walkers as far as the eye could see - thousands in each town. Wellwishers along the way waving us on, waterbowls set out for dogs and bottled water for us - just like the real thing. The finish line came all too quickly. All very exhilarating and such a wonderful cause.
We run in remembrance and in hope.
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