Steve Fonyo, cross-Canada runner and cancer research hero dies at 56

Following the traumatic events of the 1956 Revolution in Hungary, many people became political fugitives and had to flee the county. Some went to Australia, others to the United States and some to Canada.

In 1984, Steven Charles Fonyo Jr. ran across Canada with a prosthetic leg to draw attention to the hardships of cancer patients and gather donations to cancer research earning the Order of Canada merit.

Steve Fonyo was born in 1965 in Montreal as the son of a Hungarian couple who fled to Canada where they managed a restaurant, Hungarian Free Press writes.

Unfortunately, Steve Fonyo lost his left leg to bone cancer. However, this did not deter him from doing great things.

His merits

Stave was only 18 when he embarked on a successful cross-Canada run following the footsteps of Terry Fox, Global News reports.

He named his endeavour “Journey for Lives” and it aimed to raise funds and awareness to the hardships and perils of cancer as well as related scientific research.

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Steve Fonyo received a huge amount of media attention during his run when he passed the point where Terry Fox was forced to stop. In the end, Fonyo completed his run within 425 days covering 7,924 kilometres with a prosthetic leg and raising over $ 13 million for cancer research.

He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1985 for his endurance and heroism. Vancouver Sun wrote that he was chosen as newsmaker of the year by the annual Canadian Press survey of editors.

Fall of grace

Unfortunately, from then on, it was downhill for Steve Fonyo; he started to be involved in small-scale legal troubles. But they added up.