In the 28 years since Terry Fox began his courageous Marathon of Hope, more than USD $425 million has been raised all over the world for cancer research. Although his own battle with cancer cut his run short a few months later, the commitment of thousands of people around the world keeps the dream alive. One of those people is Isadore Sharp, founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

Mr. Sharp was one of the Marathon of Hope’s first corporate sponsors, pledging CDN $10,000 to the cause and personally writing to another 999 Canadian corporations to challenge them to do the same.

Later, when Terry could no longer run himself, Mr. Sharp telegrammed the Fox family to promise that a run would be held in Terry’s name every year, writing: “You started it. We will not rest until your dream to find a cure for cancer is realised.” Terry pinned this telegram to his hospital bed, telling Canadians on the CTV national telethon how much its message meant to him.

Four Seasons worked closely with the Canadian Cancer Society, CanadianTrack and Field Association and Fitness and Amateur Sport Canada to plan the first “Terry Fox Fun Run” in September 1981. The event drew more than 300,000 runners, walkers and cyclists to 760 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) sites in Canada and raised USD $3.2 million.

From there, Four Seasons took the challenge overseas, with enthusiastic support from its employees and Canadian consular staff, to introduce Terry Fox Runs to every city in which a Four Seasons hotel or resort operates. Last year, more than USD $26 million was raised in more than 40 countries around the world.

Mr. Sharp, who has known the loss of a son to cancer, believes one day a brilliant young researcher, perhaps one funded by a Terry Fox grant, will find a cure for the disease. “Terry did not lose the fight,” Mr. Sharp says. “Terry’s dream was to raise awareness of cancer, and he lived to see it fulfilled. His achievement is a stunning reminder of what can be accomplished when just one person sets out to make a difference. Four Seasons is proud to have played a role in helping Terry’s dream come true – and in ensuring that it lives on through worldwide participation in the extraordinary fundraising event that he inspired.”