Terry Fox Run comes to Chennai
By Liffy Thomas
“My count is okay now but next week it will go down. But I am hoping to take part in the run. If not, I will definitely be there to oversee everything,” says Akash Dube, settling into the sofa of his grandparents’ home in Srinagar Colony, Saidapet. Everything in him is calm and composed, his clean-shaven head being the only reminder of his chemotherapy.
The 17-year-old high school senior from Sharjah is fighting cancer. He is diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) which attacked him at the end of January, bringing him to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai where he is undergoing treatment.
Besides fighting cancer from within, Akash is organising a run to raise funds as well as create awareness on the disease. The Terry Fox Run is being held in the city for the first time on August 30, on the IIT-Madras campus.
“I had near perfect SAT scores and was one of the youngest members of Mensa. I thought I was on my way to realising my dream of following my brother to Stanford University, when the little blood spots on my forearm seemingly shattered my hopes and dreams,” Akash writes in the note he has been circulating in various organisations about his fight with cancer.
“There were times when I was down, but my family always gave me support. Initiating the run gave me something to do when my chemo was on,” he says.
Run for a cause
Akash and the Terry Fox annual charity run have been associated for some years now. He has been taking part in the annual Dubai run for the last six years, where he has been collecting 500 to 600 dirham for the foundation every year.
“This year was the first time I missed being part of the run as I was in hospital. That’s when I thought of organising a similar event here.”
It’s another challenging job for the NRI who says he has never been to schools in India. Chennai is equally new to him, except his mother’s association as an alumnus of IIT-Madras and his relatives who are spreading the word.
“I recently visited Kendriya Vidyalaya at IIT, where the principal asked me to come and speak in the assembly,” says Akash, who is gearing up to prepare a speech. Using technology Akash is campaigning more about the run, getting volunteers and making arrangements for D-Day. Keeping him equally busy is the SAT Physics paper, for which he will be appearing this October.
Like a picnic
What makes this run special is that there are no prizes to be won; you get a certificate of participation. One can run on anything non-motorised to show your support for the cause. “It’s usually a fun day, like a picnic,” his mother recalls. Akash asserts, “Come run. Today’s research is tomorrow’s cure.”
Posted on July 29, 2009 | 07:24 pm · Filed Under Coverage, Namma Chennai
Comments
One Response to “Terry Fox Run comes to Chennai”
Got something to say?
| 
Hi
I had participated in this Terry Fox Run 2009 in chennai .
This morning there was wonderful show of solidarity by Chennaites for the Terry Fox Run in YMCA Nandanam. The Venue was changed from IIT Madras to YMCA and the YMCA green atmosphere didnt disappont us.
The event was well organised with some 10 registration desks and there was announcement being made every now and then to guide and also direct the participants and the public alike. After finishing the run the participants were given certificate of participating the Run.
The Event was flagged off by Ms Anu Hassan , who thanked all the enthu participants for coming up in large numbers and spreading awareness about Cancer .
There was a Placard in the premises which said that We should know Cancer only as a Zodiac Sign, which truly underlines the event. The Proceeds of this Charity Run would fund the Cancer Research Program of TATA Cancer hospital .
Canandian Embassy / Consultate Staff turned in good numbers and were overwhelmed by the participants.
Some of the leading corporates and the members who participated in large numbers are Apollo Hospital ( Rem Akash took his treatment there ) , TCS, Hexaware Technologies, Polaris Software Lab Ltd, Cognizant Technologies, besides other corporates.
There was a senior Citizen Mr Padmanabhan , ( 65 yrs young ) who actively participated and also completed the run .
Mr Sundararaman of Nizhal ( NGO ) volunteered and gave sapling to all celebrity runners and also cheered the participants.
Small kids, School Going childrens , NCC Cadets , Press coverage ( from NDTV Hindu, Newsx, Indian Express also added glamour and brought lot of smiles among the participants.
Another EVENT coming up next week is SNEHA WALKATHON.. 6th September at Gandhi Statue for a 4 KM walk at 7 15 am . This Walk is to bring awareness among public that Suicide can be prevented and we can save lives of many of our brothers and sisters. SNEHA is a NGO founded in the year 1986 and it offers 24 hrs helpline / counselling for people who are depressed and need a channel to vent out their feelings.
More details about this organisation can be had at http://www.snehaindia.org.
Am sure the Chennaites would also show up and show solidarity for yet another upcoming Charity / Awareness event ..