Whale Cove (Oct 11/06) - The annual Terry Fox Run has become a meaningful event to students at Inuglak school in Whale Cove during the past three years.

Students spend the week leading up to the run watching DVDs and discussing Fox's attempt to walk across Canada and what he meant for cancer research.

Teacher Andrea Laidlaw says once discussions on Fox begin, the students will almost always end up thinking about people in their family who have died from, or are suffering with, cancer.

She says once that happens, the topic hits closer to home and the students appreciate why they're raising money for cancer research.

"Few of the students will share specifics, but many will say they have a family member affected by cancer," says Laidlaw.

"They don't really know exactly what happens to your body when you have cancer.

"They understand it's a terminal disease, but they don't know much about the treatments or what the doctors are trying to do.

"All they realize is that they've lost family members because of it."

Laidlaw says Whale students have a good sense of what Fox accomplished, and what he went through trying to complete his journey.

She says the DVD really helps them put into perspective how Fox felt when he had to stop running in Thunder Bay, Ont.

"The kids are always affected by that part and it gets pretty quiet in the room.

"They really feel the emotion of the moment."

The Whale students regard Fox as a Canadian hero.

Laidlaw says they're exposed to the Fox story at a young age and, as they get older, come to realize just how hard the run was for him.

She says the students are really pumped when they go out for the run.

"This year, one of our teachers had the students make little signs to pin on their shirts that said I am running for my grandma or my uncle - people in their family who had been affected by cancer.

"They really liked that because it made the run a personal experience for them."

Grade 10 teacher Tom Hampton organized this year's Inuglak run, which raised more than $560.

"That's pretty impressive coming from a community of only about 300 people," says Laidlaw.

"We're all proud of the students' efforts."