When you give to the Terry Fox Foundation, you fund the science behind the miracles.

When Terry was diagnosed with cancer in 1977, he learned that osteosarcoma had a 50% survival rate. If he had been diagnosed just two years earlier, it would have been 15%.

In that moment, Terry understood the importance of cancer research. He dedicated the rest of his life to the cause.

As Terry ran those 5,373 kilometers in 1980, something remarkable happened. Canadians rallied behind his fierce determination and his message of hope. For the first time, people believed a future without cancer was possible.

Terry brought cancer out into the open, ended the stigma, and launched a rallying cry to fund innovative research that echoes to this day.

It’s working! Just 50 years ago, childhood leukemia had a survival rate of less than 3%. Today, thanks to cancer research, that number is more than 90%.

That’s why the Terry Fox Foundation, in tandem with the Terry Fox Research Institute, is spearheading an ambitious, Canada-wide project that will usher in a new era of innovative research and precision cancer medicine.

The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network

We are poised on the brink of a golden age of discovery that will transform everything we know about the treatment – and prevention – of cancer.

Canada is home to many of the world’s preeminent cancer specialists and researchers. But until now, they worked mostly in their own silos within their own institutions.

The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network (MOHCCN) will radically change that.

Under the umbrella of the MOHCCN, world-class scientists, oncologists, and patient partners from Canada’s leading universities, hospitals, and cancer research centres will finally be able to coordinate with each other so every patient, no matter where they live, has the potential for the very best outcome.

It’s a full-court press that will facilitate collaboration, leverage a rich and growing storehouse of data, and accelerate precision cancer care right across the country.

• It will reimagine cancer treatment with personalized, precision medicine.
• It will establish Canada as a world leader in this life-changing research.
• It will bring us closer to the Marathon of Hope’s finish line.

And it’s all happening because of you and your enduring support for Terry and his dream of a world without cancer.

Be a part of the Marathon of Hope!

The MOHCCN is the future of precision cancer medicine.

• A catalyst for radical cancer research to deliver on the promise of personalized cancer drugs and treatments.
• A framework for collaboration and discovery that will improve the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of all cancers.
• A profound opportunity to improve survival rates and quality of life for patients and their families.
  

Why is this important?

Historically, cancer patients have received one-size-fits-all treatments based on the organ where their cancer originated. For example, most patients with lung cancer would receive the same treatment.

These treatments have saved countless lives, but they have limitations. They’re often very toxic and they don’t work for everyone because each patient is unique. As well, their cancers may stem from different genetic mutations. So, patients often have different responses to identical treatments.

What if, instead of this one-size-fits-all approach, we could tailor treatments to each patient’s genetics and the specific characteristics of their cancer?

This is the promise of precision medicine.