More than one reason to walk

Leaside resident Glynnis Burt knows better than most about having cancer affect your life.

Her parents died of cancer 15 years ago, both at the age of 73. Her brother survived skin cancer. Her grandfather died of liver cancer. At the age of 80, one of her aunts died of breast cancer after battling the disease three times. And one of her cousins died of breast cancer at 52 — the same age Burt is now.

Though Burt’s family history has always inspired her to support fundraising marathons for cancer research, this year will mark the first time she participates in one. On Sept. 12, Burt will join coworkers from law firm McCarthy Tetrault for the inaugural Shoppers Drug Mart OneWalk to Conquer Cancer, a 25-kilometre trek through the streets of Toronto that will raise funds for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

“In my lifetime, and particularly in my son’s lifetime, I’d like to see more answers to cancer so that personalized treatment can progress,” she says.

While Burt will be paying tribute to her family, her inspiration for joining the walk this year is a friend, Sharon, who died of leukemia last November less than a year after being diagnosed.

Before her passing, Sharon participated in a clinical trial — the sort of research-driven opportunity that fundraisers like OneWalk make possible, Burt says.

“That research is part of the reason I’m doing the walk,” she says. “So in the future medicine can … prevent more cancers rather than just treat them.”

OneWalk is scheduled to begin downtown at 11 Polson St., near the waterfront, on Sept. 12. The exact route was recently released and can be viewed online.

While Burt’s husband and 12-year-old son will not be joining her on the walk itself, “they’ll be cheering me on and ready to capture me when I cross the line after 25 kilometres,” she says with a laugh.