I was saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Fonyo. While a coroner's report is still pending, Fonyo died after sustaining a seizure on Friday. He was 56.
In 1984 and 1985, Steve Fonyo completed Terry Fox's dream by running across Canada on a prosthetic limb to raise money for cancer research in a campaign called "Journey for Lives". Five years earlier, Fox's "Marathon of Hope" came to an abrupt end outside of my hometown of Thunder Bay when his cancer returned. He would pass away in 1981, a month shy of his 23rd birthday.
I vividly remember when Fonyo's run came to an end and he dipped his artificial left leg into the Pacific.
It should have been the beginning of a glorious life for Fonyo. But after being bestowed with the Order of Canada (Canada's highest civilian honor), Fonyo's life went south as he struggled with addiction and became a habitual criminal. His run ins with the law were so frequent that he was eventually stripped of the Order of Canada in 2010.
Over the past decade or so, Fonyo had stayed out of trouble but in 2015 sustained brain damage during a home invasion. This injury may have contributed to his sudden death.
While there is no doubt that Fonyo hurt a great many people the harm he caused did not warrant that harm come to him. Fonyo might have lost his Order of Canada, but no one can take away the fact that he ran across Canada on an artificial leg to raise money for cancer research. Fonyo might not have always been a good person, but he did do some good in the world. R.I.P.
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