An Abbotsford team that rallied for a boy battling cancer at this year’s Terry Fox Run raised nearly $18,000, believed to be a new record at the local run.
Jacob Bredenhof, an all-star basketball player in his elementary school, was diagnosed in the spring with osteosarcoma, the same type of cancer that Fox faced nearly 40 years ago, his mother, Tracey Bredenhof, told The News last week. His family and friends put together a team to run for the boy at this year’s Terry Fox Run last weekend.
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The 13-year-old was also able to do the two-kilometre stretch — the run offered two-, five- and 10-km routes — on his crutches just a week after receiving chemotherapy, far exceeding expectations, Tracey said.
“We brought his wheelchair, and we thought maybe he would do a little bit with crutches, and then he would go in the wheelchair, because he really hadn’t moved for the last five days,” she said, adding he was feeling a bit sore and tired toward the end.
“He pushed through. … It was pretty awesome. I’m super proud of him.”
The family raised a total of $17,705, which Donna White, provincial director of B.C. and Yukon for the Terry Fox Foundation, said she believed was a record-setting run for Abbotsford — the local run raised over $30,000 in total. The money raised for Jacob’s run is going toward research and awareness for paediatric cancers and sarcoma.
“The support is huge. It’s overwhelming. A bit overwhelming being there and seeing everyone,” Tracey said.
Last week Tracey said Jacob was optimistic and looking forward to recovering, but that he was experiencing a lack of energy. In a follow-up conversation this week, she said he is “doing a bit better.”