Terry Fox's relative keeps legacy alive in Spruce Grove

Terry Fox's second cousin hopes to breath new life into his legacy in Spruce Grove.

Rebecca Marsh, 33, never met Fox, who died a year before she was born.

But she grew up on his stories, and since childhood has taken part in the annual Terry Fox Run, her grandmother often waiting with a certificate at the finish line.

This year Marsh takes the reigns as organizer of the community Terry Fox Run on Sept. 17 in Spruce Grove, one of 81 runs across Alberta.

• Terry Fox remembered on 35th anniversary of his death
• Terry Fox exhibit unveiled at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary

"It's just who we are," said the mother, day-home operator, and dragon-boat racer in a telephone interview Thursday as her dog Pickles barked in the background. "I grew up on it, because it's a family thing."

Marsh knows it won't be easy. Last year's Spruce Grove run had just 20 participants and raised $3,500. She aims to grow that amount within five years to $37,000, or $1 for every resident. The was Fox's goal back in 1980, to raise $1 each from Canada's 24 million people.

"It's hard because (Terry) was the first run," Marsh said. "He was the very first who came up with the idea and went with it. And now there are runs almost every weekend for something."

But Marsh is inspired by her cousin's heroic efforts; at  just 21, he ran the equivalent of a marathon a day for more than four months to raise money for cancer research. Nearly four decades later, his determination continues to pay off, inspiring people worldwide to donate $750 million in his name.

"He just had a vision and didn't think that everybody needed to continue suffering, so he wanted to try and help," said Marsh.

She noted that when Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer he had less than a 20-per-cent chance of survival. Decades later, that same cancer's survival rate is 80 per cent.

Such enormous gains are what she hopes will inspire more participants to turn up at Spruce Grove's Terry Fox Run on Sept. 17, whether they chose to run, walk, roller blade, bike or just cheer others on.

Recruiting new leaders such as Marsh to take the reigns is key to keeping the legacy alive and raising funds for research, said Wendy Kennelly, Alberta director at the Terry Fox Foundation.

Kennelly was delighted when a recent call for a new volunteer organizer in St. Albert prompted a dozen enquiries. Bringing in about $10,000 a year, it's an important location, she said.

 "Terry's spirit is still alive and well and engaged across the country," she said.