Get your shoes, skates or bicycle ready for Bangalore's Terry Fox Run trophy

Meet Nitin Tolani, 22, who is in high spirit these days about bringing back Terry Fox Run trophy, a charity event aimed at fighting cancer, to Bangalore after six long years.

The run will be held on Sunday. Nitin himself is a cancer survivor and has been through the toughest of times. Now, a cured Nitin wants to extend his support to cancer victims.

Nitin was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma (bone tumour) at the end of 2008 when he was just 19. A resident of Dubai, Nitin had to leave his education incomplete and come to Bangalore, to get treated at the Manipal Hospital.

“The treatment was lengthy and continued for over a year. I had developed cancer of the bone in my left leg. So initially, it was a surgery to remove the cancerous part of the bone and replace it with a metal rod. Sessions of physiotherapy followed. Afterwards, it was chemotherapy coupled with radiotherapy for a year,” recalls Nitin.
During the days of his recovery, while he continued studies by taking up various courses online, he also had the intention to help people affected with cancer.
“Surfing on the web, I got to know that Terry Fox Run was conducted in the city six years ago. I tried getting in touch with old committee members and they helped me out in organising this run again,” said Nitin.

It has been six months that Nitin, along with committee members, has been working on organising Terry Fox Run.

“This year, we are expecting a participation of more than 3,000 people. Fifteen schools from the city have already assured their participation. Also, another eight software companies and multinational organisations have given their word,” said Nitin.

Keeping fingers crossed, he is hoping that the walk will raise funds to help cancer patient and also generate awareness about the disease. After this event, Nitin is hoping to shift base to Dubai, complete his graduation and join his family business. “My aim is to spread awareness about rare cancers as there is a lack of knowledge regarding them. I would like to thank all who have volunteered for the event and request all Bangaloreans to participate in the run,” he said.

Participants in the fun run can use any non-motorised form of mobility—walking, running, cycling, skating, etc. The event aims at getting people to rally around the causes of cancer prevention and awareness. The funds from this year’s run will be donated to Tata Memorial Centre to be utilised for cancer research.