citizen vancouver |

Amidst stories that the order of Canada was removed from Steve Fonyo because of criminal charges comes an outpouring of support for the cancer survivor who completed Terry Fox’s run across Canada to raise $14M. His fans cry out that Fonyo is just as human as any one of us and deserves credit for his incredible and heroic feat, despite his character. If you are old enough to remember Steve Fonyo completing the run, you would also remember his brash and somewhat repulsive personality. His status catapulted to celebrity during the run and it reflected in his ego and his dealings with the media. I remember how my father teared up on hearing the news of Terry’s death… and then I remember my father cursing at the TV set when Steve Fonyo spoke – a prima donna, a disrespectful loser. And then came the stories of drunk driving, the time he spent at peeler bars. Slowly over time, Fonyo racked up a number of criminal charges.

Terry Fox was a hero, and a canadian legend because he did the unthinkable and ran across canada on one leg – he put his life on the line while he should have been in a hospital bed getting treated. He was truly the underdog in a story of epic proportions. He started his run an unknown with the purpose to raise awareness, raise money, and accomplish a feat even two legged healthy people could never fathom. He went into this a modest young man with no idea of his outcome, no expectation of celebrity. When Fox died, he was the darling of canada, the hero that everyone adored and was a source of incredible inspiration.

In comes Steve Fonyo and takes on the same cause, does the same run. Unfortunately, this seen as opportunistic, sliding into the limelight while Fox’s death was fresh in everyone’s minds. While Fox was modest and simple in front of the camera, Fonyo was the opposite. Steve completed the race and raised a tremendous amount of donations… but was he sincere in his efforts? Rick Hansen took on the world in his wheels across the world tour, with his humble personality, and his continued work in the community and his personal dedication to a cause, Rick was a hero we came to respect and adore. Even today, when Rick is in the news, we get energized and eager to support. When Steve is in the news, we cringe in embarrassment. Had Steve continued his efforts in the community, instead of spending his days in drunk tanks and racking up a rap sheet, he would not have lost his [self]respect, or his order of canada. I say take it away and give it to someone who deserves it.

PS. Read this post about the Terry Fox statue and how it should have shared a space with Steve Fonyo, and all the subsequent comments made me wonder if i’m a bit too hard on Fonyo. How Steve had an uphill battle with the media, with Canadians from mile 1, and Terry was the darling that had it much easier because of charisma and charm. Unfortunately I still think, if you want the respect and merit of an award like the order of canada, you have to earn it even after you’ve received it.