New Zealander running across Canada inspired by legacy of Terry Fox arrives in Ottawa
A New Zealand man who is running across Canada to raise money for cancer research has made it to the nation's capital.
Jon Nabbs, 32, left St. John's, Nfld. on May 3 and has been making his way west. He is aiming to raise $60,000 for two charities, Childhood Cancer Canada and Child Cancer Foundation in New Zealand.
"The run has been a huge challenge so far but it's been really great, really heartwarming. The support I've seen from Canadians so far has just blown me away," he told CTV News Ottawa on Parliament Hill Monday.
Jon Nabbs of New Zealand is running across Canada to raise money for childhood cancer charities in Canada and New Zealand. He aims to be the first New Zealander to make the solo run of approximately 8,000 km. (Jim O'Grady/CTV News Ottawa)
Nabbs says he lost both of his parents to cancer within a year of each other and it affected him deeply.
"If there was any silver lining that came out of that awful time and losing both of my parents it was the realization that time is now, life is short, and it made me think very hard about what it is I wanted to spend my time doing before I also pass on," he explained.
Last year, Nabbs walked the length of New Zealand, and this year he turned his attention to Canada, a country he says has always fascinated him. His college girlfriend, Ingrid, is from Ottawa. Nabbs says he wants to be the first person from New Zealand to run solo across Canada.
Recently, Nabbs learned the story of Terry Fox, whose Marathon of Hope has inspired generations of Canadians. He says he found this legacy incredibly moving and inspiring.
Arriving on Parliament Hill and seeing the statue of Fox gave him chills, he says.
"I got the same shivers that I got when I saw the Terry Fox statue in St. John's, Newfoundland, which is where I started my journey," Nabbs said.
Jon Nabbs of New Zealand is running across Canada to raise money for childhood cancer charities in Canada and New Zealand. He says he was inspired by the legacy of Terry Fox. (Jim O'Grady/CTV News Ottawa)
"You're going about your day, you're seeing this outstanding capital city, it's grand, it's inspiring, and then you just see this statue of Terry. Compared to everything else around, it's quite small, but it's had so much more impact on me than anything else I've seen today. It just stops you. It's so arresting and humbling and somber and so inspiring at the same time."
Fox's Marathon of Hope began April 12, 1980. His run ended 143 days after it began when his cancer spread to his lungs. Fox had made it to Thunder Bay, Ont., 5,373 km from St. John's, when he was forced to stop.
"The things he stood for are just as relevant today as they were 33 years ago," Nabbs said. "I think it's such an important legacy that he's left. I think if there's one little extra thing I can do, besides raising money on this trip, it's introducing my own country to this outstanding Canadian and what he represented with his life."
Nabbs says he's still got a ways to go to reach his $60,000 goal, and many more kilometres to run to reach his final destination of Vancouver. He hopes to arrive on the west coast in November.
Throughout the journey, he says he's met and heard from so many Canadians whose lives have been touched by cancer. They've also offered him many well-wishes ahead of his 33rd birthday on Tuesday.
"It's been the unexpected beauty of this trip so far, how much people have opened their arms up and their homes and opened their hearts to me. It's just been wonderful. It's meant so much to me, the way Canadians have received me so far," he says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.