A young student from the University of Toronto, Canada, Venissa Xiao, lost her battle against Ewing’s Sarcoma and she passed away on July 23, 2014. She was housed at Trinity College with my daughter Alexandra.

Last year, in honour of Venissa, Alexandra and a group of friends from the University of Toronto, Trinity College, started a fundraising page to raise money for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. On May 3rd 2015, the students were out there, in the streets of Toronto, running or walking to improve cancer care worldwide.

Students at Trinity College had organized a previous Terry Fox Run to support Venissa in her battle against the disease. In this first time event, more than 100 people showed up to run in support of Venissa and together, they raised over $4,000 for the cause. At the time, Venissa was unable to attend due to her health, but she was deeply moved by the love and support that everyone showed her and she repeatedly wished for the run to continue. She wanted to help others who, like her, were suffering from cancer.

When we honour one person, we help thousands more. There is a strength in numbers and we can all do our part. Together we can create a world without cancer. Together we can fight the fight and find the cure. For information on how you can run or walk in Toronto and be amongst those who participate in the fight against cancer, please click here.