Two months ago, an Instagram post from The Terry Fox Foundation caught my eye. It was about a contest to win a weekend in Wrexham, Wales, and to take part in the first ever Terry Fox Run in that country. The prize package included:

✈️ Round-trip flights for two from anywhere in Canada to Wrexham, Wales

🏨 Three-night stay at the Ramada Plaza Wrexham: October 11 to 14, 2024

🥳 "Welcome to Wrexham, Canada" celebration at the Turf Pub with a concert by The Declan Swans

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Private guided tour of the Wrexham Miners Rescue Station

🎟 Two tickets to the Wrexham AFC home game at the Racecourse Ground

👟 Participate in the first-ever Wrexham #TerryFoxRun with Fred Fox, Terry’s older brother

🛍 Limited-edition Terry Fox Run swag and Wrexham AFC merchandise

🍽 A Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner at Maesgwyn Hall

Although I rarely enter contests, I looked at the post and said to myself, "I want to enter that one." As I've shared in this blog numerous times (see below), I admire Terry Fox immensely and took great comfort in his example while I was being treated for ovarian cancer in 2020 and 2021. And I am in awe of everything he achieved and the legacy his family has carried on for more than 40 years. Meeting Terry's older brother Fred would be an honour. So I entered the contest.

A month later, while celebrating my mom's birthday, I felt my cell phone buzz. I glanced at my smartwatch and saw the opening words of an email: "I am emailing you today on behalf of the Terry Fox Foundation...." Though I would normally resist the temptation to look at my cell while talking to someone, I pulled my phone out immediately, anxious to see what the entire sentence said. It read: "I am emailing you today on behalf of the Terry Fox Foundation to let you know that you have won our Trip to Wrexham Contest! Congratulations!"

I was shocked ("I won?"), suspicious ("Is this for real?") and unsure ("Will I be healthy enough to travel a month after my breast reconstruction surgery?") The first two questions were answered in short order. I really had won, and the communication from The Terry Fox Foundation was legitimate. The third question would take a little time to settle. A call to my surgeon's office the next day confirmed that I would be ready to travel a month after surgery. Though I was a little nervous, I told myself to feel the fear and do it anyway. I replied to The Terry Fox Foundation that I would accept the prize.

Two weeks later, I had my breast reconstruction surgery following a bilateral mastectomy to avoid breast cancer. And now, two weeks after that, I am feeling stronger every day, and I am confident that I will, indeed, be ready for travel.

I'm excited about getting another shot at a Terry Fox Run in 2024 after my recent surgery prevented my walking in my local Terry Fox Run on September 15. And I'm thrilled that my son, who has walked with me in previous Terry Fox Runs, will be my travel buddy for our weekend in Wrexham. I will wear my red cancer-survivor's t-shirt with pride in the Terry Fox Wrexham Run on October 13.

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