Steve Fonyo

Stephen Charles "Steve" Fonyo Jr. (born June 29, 1965 in Montreal) is a Canadian runner with an artificial leg who was a nationally renowned fundraiser for cancer research and treatment and a former Officer of the Order of Canada.

Steve Fonyo
Born
Stephen Charles Fonyo

(1965-06-29) June 29, 1965
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationAthlete, runner
AwardsOrder of Canada (revoked)[1][2]

Fonyo lost his left leg to cancer at age 12. He later embarked on a cross-Canada marathon entitled the "Journey for Lives" to raise funds for cancer research. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of Terry Fox. Unlike Fox, who had to abandon the Marathon of Hope when his cancer returned, Fonyo completed the coast-to-coast marathon and also completed a marathon across the United Kingdom.

Fonyo began his "Journey for Lives" marathon on March 31, 1984, at age 18, and completed it 425 days later on May 29, 1985, covering 7,924 km (4,924 mi) and raising $14 million (CDN). He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada 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 the same year.

He studied mechanics and aircraft maintenance at an early age. He repeatedly ran afoul of the law, and was charged and convicted of various crimes.[3]

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 home invaders at his residence in Whalley, a neighbourhood of Surrey.[4] The doctors placed Fonyo in a medically induced coma for a month after the attack.[5]

In 1996, Fonyo pleaded guilty to 16 charges for offences in Edmonton, including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, fraud for writing bad cheques totalling $10,000 to supermarkets, and possession of a stolen vehicle.[2][3] He has also been convicted at least five times of impaired driving and seven times of driving without a licence, most recently in the fall of 2008.[2] On August 13, 2009, Fonyo, last known to have been working as a heavy-machinery mechanic, appeared in Surrey Provincial Court charged with one count of assault. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail. He was credited for 10 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 Surrey court, having breached his conditions. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days in jail.[6]

His membership in the Order of Canada was revoked on December 10, 2009.[1][2]

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.[7]

On August 6, 2010, he was again arrested for fraud.[8] On August 28, 2010, Fonyo married Lisa Greenwood.[9]

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.[10]

Legacy

Steve Fonyo Drive in Kingston, Ontario, is named after him, as is Steve Fonyo Beach in Victoria, British Columbia, where he ended his run. Fonyo Road was also named in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

In 2015, Fonyo was the subject of Alan Zweig's documentary film Hurt[11] which covered Fonyo's decline into addiction and homelessness.[12] It won the Platform Prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival[13] and the best feature documentary Canadian Screen Award.[14]

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References
  1. "Termination from the Order of Canada". The Governor General of Canada. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  2. "Fonyo loses his Order of Canada". CBC News. 2010-01-26. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  3. Matthew Ramsey (September 13, 2006). "Steve Fonyo once again runs into trouble with the law". Times-Colonist. CanWest. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  4. Cooper, Sam (Feb 14, 2015). "Steve Fonyo in induced coma after home invasion attack in Surrey". Victoria Times-Colonist.
  5. Chan, Emily (2015-05-18). "Steve Fonyo says he's facing homelessness after brutal attack". CTV News. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  6. "Fonyo stripped of this order of Canada". National Post. January 26, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  7. The Canada Press (January 28, 2010). "Fonyo says Order of Canada should be his". Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  8. "Steve Fonyo charged with fraud related to credit card". CTV News. CTV. August 6, 2010. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
  9. "Fonyo weds on Victoria beach". CBC News. CBC. August 28, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  10. "Hero cancer survivor pleads guilty". UPI.com. December 9, 2010. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  11. "Doc explores the life of Steve Fonyo, the man who completed the run Terry Fox started". The Globe and Mail, September 13, 2015.
  12. "Steve Fonyo documentary explores Canadian hero's decline into addiction, homelessness". CBC News. 2016-01-09.
  13. "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2015 Award Winners" (PDF) (Press release). TIFF. 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  14. "Canadian Screen Awards 2016". CBC News. 2016-03-11.
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