One of my favourite moments from the 2010 Olympics was watching Betty Fox proudly carrying a corner of the Olympic flag at the Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. Although Mrs. Fox was joined by hockey star Bobby Orr, singer Anne Murray, racecar driver Jacques Villeneuve, gold medallist figure skater Barbara Ann Scott, Senator Romeo Dallaire, astronaut Julie Payette and Emmy Award-winning actor Donald Sutherland, it was Betty Fox I was proudest to see representing Canadian heroism.
It was with great sadness that I found out Mrs. Fox had passed away on June 17. Just recently our blog ran a story from the Terry Fox Foundation, summarizing the amazing work of this organization — work that started with Terry, but was moved forward by the tireless efforts of his mother. Every year when I was growing up, I was part of a Terry Fox run. In the 31 years since Terry’s first step, the foundation that bears his name has raised over $550 million towards cancer research. And in that time, countless lives have been saved by the awareness he raised and the advances in treatment that funding has supported.
Thank you, Mrs. Fox, for everything you have done for us. If you would like to offer your condolences to the Fox family, you can do so on the Terry Fox Foundation website.
