The local Terry Fox Run lost one of its big supporters last year and she'll be remembered before the fundraiser gets rolling on Sunday in Tsawwassen.
Samantha Mattersdorfer, 19, who passed away last November, raised over $80,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation while fighting her own battle against cancer.
There will be a connection and a focus on Mattersdorfer at Sunday's event, says Rotary Club of Tsawwassen member and local run co-chair Gail McEwan.
"Actually the reason I'm chairing it is because Samantha and I got to be really good friends a couple of years ago and I sort of journeyed with her the last bit of her life and I did promise her that I'd do this this year," McEwan says.
Mattersdorfer, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma bone cancer when she was 17, underwent a leg amputation and numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. By 18 she was diagnosed with terminal metastatic osteosarcoma and the cancer had spread to both of her lungs.
"There was only the option of using her time to raise awareness and funds for research and that is exactly what Samantha did for the rest of her time on earth," says Samantha's mom, Cathy Mattersdorfer, in an e-mail.
Terry Fox quickly became a hero to Samantha, says Mattersdorfer, who's expected to speak at the run on Sunday.
"In one late night conversation with a friend, Samantha said that she hoped that when her time came Terry would be there to greet her. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that on Nov. 9 he was there for her when her battle with cancer ended. Samantha and Terry didn't just share the same cancer diagnosis.
They shared the same drive and determination to do everything they could to find a cure for cancer."
The local Terry Fox Run, which has five-kilometre and 10-kilometre options, is being organized by the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen.
It's a non-competitive event with no entry fees and no minimum pledge amounts.
McEwan notes organizers are putting a focus on participation and are using social media, like Facebook, to help get the word out about the fundraiser.
"Hopefully we'll get good numbers out," she says.
"It's really important, in my mind, to keep the whole Terry Fox vision alive."
Fox, who was born in Winnipeg and grew up in Port Coquitlam, began his Marathon of Hope from St. John's, Newfoundland and ran for 143 days, covering over 5,000 kilometres, with an artificial limb. His leg was amputated because of cancer while he was a teenager.
Fox had hoped to raise a dollar from each Canadian.
He stopped outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The cancer had spread to his lungs and Fox died when he was just 22. The annual Terry Fox Run was formed to commemorate the Marathon of Hope.
The run is set to take place rain or shine on Sunday with the start and finish at Rotary Square at the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall.
Registration begins at 8: 30 a.m., with the run scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
There will be entertainment on site, including a jazz band and face painting, as well as draws and refreshments following the run.
This year pre-registration is also available at Muscle Memory, the Run Inn and Delta Printers in Tsawwassen and Budget Foods in Ladner.
For more details contact [email protected] or check out South Delta Terry Fox Run on Facebook.
