Stephen Charles Fonyo Jr. (June 29, 1965 – February 18, 2022) was a Canadian runner with an artificial leg who was a nationally renowned fundraiser for cancer research and treatment, and a former Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Journey for Lives

At age 12, Fonyo's left leg was amputated above the knee to prevent the spread of

bone cancer A bone tumor is an neoplastic, abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as benign, noncancerous (benign) or malignant, cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body su ...

. He left school in grade 10 to work in a lawnmower and chainsaw shop. In 1980, Fonyo saw a speech delivered by

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada, that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Vancouver, Downtown peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay, Vancouver, English Bay. The park bor ...

. When Fox died the following year, Fonyo had what he described as an epiphany come to him to run across Canada, stating, "It came to me overnight. It was like a dream or something, like another force." The idea would not leave his head despite his own admission of not being athletic or particularly interested in raising money in a cross-country trip, saying, "My heart wasn’t there, not like Terry Fox’s. I always was a nice guy—I like helping people—but I wasn’t interested in any way in running across Canada." In 1984, at age 18, he embarked on a run across Canada entitled Journey for Lives to raise funds for cancer research. The

Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society () is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The Saskatchewan Medical Association formed Canada's first cancer committee in 1929, whi ...

(specifically the BC chapter) were wary of any attempts that might taint the image of them or Fox's legacy in their rejection of Fonyo. Regardless, on March 31, he began his journey in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of

. Fonyo began his run on March 31, 1984, and completed it 425 days later on May 29, 1985, covering , and raising $14 million. Unlike Fox, who had to abandon the

Marathon of Hope Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

when his cancer returned, Fonyo completed the coast-to-coast run. He also completed a run across the United Kingdom. He was named a Member of the

in 1985, the youngest person ever given that status at the time. This achievement was marred by grief, as his father Steve Fonyo Sr. died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

the next year.

Later life and legal troubles

At some point, Fonyo began abusing alcohol and drugs. His first conviction for driving under the influence had come in 1982, although the report surfaced to the public only after successive convictions for drunk driving six years later. He repeatedly ran afoul of the law, and was charged and convicted of various crimes. In 1996, Fonyo pleaded guilty to 16 charges for offences in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, fraud for writing bad cheques totalling $10,000 to supermarkets, and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was also convicted at least five times of impaired driving, and seven times of driving without a licence, most recently in the fall of 2008. On August 13, 2009, Fonyo, last known to have been working as a heavy-machinery mechanic, appeared in BC Provincial Court in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

charged with one count of assault. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail. He was credited for ten days already served. He was also subject to a one-year probation order. But just five days later, the 44-year-old was back in court, having breached his conditions. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days in jail. His membership in the

was revoked on December 10, 2009. On January 27, 2010, Fonyo gave a brief telephone interview to CTV News from the Surrey Remand Centre, where he was serving the balance of his sentence on an assault charge after breach of his parole. Fonyo stated it was wrong to have his Order of Canada revoked, as it was given to him for something he had previously done. On August 6, 2010, he was again arrested for fraud. On August 28, 2010, Fonyo married Lisa Greenwood. On December 7, 2010, Fonyo pleaded guilty to threatening Greenwood and to unrelated charges of fraud, credit card fraud, and driving with a suspended licence. By 2013, he had stated he had stopped drinking while contending that he was not an alcoholic. In February 2015, friends and family reported to news media that Fonyo was in an induced coma in Royal Columbian Hospital after being stabbed by three assailants at his home in Whalley, a neighbourhood of Surrey. Doctors placed Fonyo in a medically induced coma for a month after the attack. Fonyo ended up having a traumatic brain injury, which led to him being prescribed medication to prevent possible seizures.

Death and legacy

While in the

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

area to have repairs made on his prosthetic foot, Fonyo died in a

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

hotel room, just after midnight on February 18, 2022, at the age of 56. Fonyo's partner since 2015, Lisa Marie Herbert, believed he had had a seizure, which his ex-wife thought was related to his traumatic brain injury. The cause of death is still awaiting an examination by the coroner. Steve Fonyo Drive in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, is named after him, as is Steve Fonyo Beach in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, where he ended his run and where he was later married in 2010. Fonyo Road was also named in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

. In 2015, Fonyo was the subject of

Alan Zweig Alan Zweig is a Canadians, Canadian documentary filmmaker known for often using film to explore his own life. Early life Alan Zweig was born and raised in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario and has worked in the film industry as a writer, producer, di ...

's documentary film '' Hurt'' which covered Fonyo's decline into addiction and homelessness. It won the Platform Prize at the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...

and the 2015 Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary Zweig followed up ''Hurt'' with the sequel ''Hope'', released in 2017. Film producer and screenwriter Greg Klymkiw, who wrote an open letter calling for Fonyo to be reinstated into the Order of Canada, said "I was frankly appalled that some persnickety pencil-pushers in the governor-general's office would have chosen to rescind this great honour for something absolutely amazing that Steve did at the age of 19. They looked at 30 years of Steve's (post-marathon) life when he was suffering from depression, mental illness and addiction, and essentially, because he was ill, they used this against him". ''

Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. ...

'' sports columnist Scott Radley wrote "Yet at a time we're supposed to be more enlightened about addiction and possibly mental health problems, the near-complete purge of Fonyo from the public narrative somehow seems unfair. Especially when you wonder if this would've happened to him had he not faced the pressures of fame and expectations he was obviously ill-equipped to handle. All in the pursuit of raising money for charity."

References

External links

Whatever Happened To: Steve Fonyo

FactsCanada.ca, 2001 newsletter
*
Steve Fonyo
, ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fonyo, Steve 1965 births 2022 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Track and field athletes from Montreal Canadian amputees Canadian disabled sportspeople Canadian people convicted of assault Canadian people of Hungarian descent People convicted of fraud People removed from the Order of Canada Sportspeople from Surrey, British Columbia Competitors in athletics with limb difference