For as long as she can remember, Cassandra Harding has taken part in the Terry Fox Run.
Walking through the streets of Pointe-Claire, Que., Harding, 20, participated in this year's annual event, named after the Canadian icon who attempted a cross-country run in 1980 to raise money for cancer research.
This time, Harding's connection to the event became much more personal.
"The world went quiet when I heard those words, 'You have cancer,'" she told CTV National News.
"Those aren't words that you want to ever hear, but I knew from that day on the battle began and had to take it one step at a time."
At 19, Harding was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the same bone cancer that cut short Fox's Marathon of Hope. He died at the age of 22 after the cancer returned and spread to his lungs.
Asked how she got through her toughest moments, Harding said she just tried to stay positive.
"I definitely had my down days but I didn't let them keep me down for too long and changed the negatives into positives to get me through the day," she said. "But it was rough, it was really rough,"
Although Fox had to have his leg amputated because of the cancer, advancements in treatment allowed Harding to keep hers.
"The doctor said to me, 'If this was 10 years ago you would have lost your leg.' There was no doubt about it," she said.
Wendy Robinson, an administrative assistant at John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, said Harding's diagnosis was really hard for many people at the school, including students and staff.
"So proud of her," Robinson said. "She is tough, tough, tough."
But weeks after Harding finished her chemotherapy, her 18-year-old sister started treatment for the same type of cancer.
This year, Harding chose to walk for her, saying, "My sister, I have her in my heart. She's my rock, she's my best friend and I wish she could be here with me today."
Now in remission, Harding is sharing her story to show that fundraisers like the Terry Fox Run do help people.
Without that fundraising, Harding says she wouldn't have a leg today.
"A lot of people don't know where the money is going," she said. "But for them to see a product of the money, I think it makes everything so much more special."
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
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Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
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South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
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As students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at universities across U.S. dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, some universities shut down encampments after reports of antisemitic activity among the protesters.
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Ramey Kyle said officers were called after a dispute started inside the nightclub and “spilled into the street.”
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Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
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A Toronto-based restructuring firm says several bidders have offered to buy all or part of SaltWire Network and The Halifax Herald, the two insolvent companies that operate Atlantic Canada's largest newspaper enterprise.
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A former graduate of Holy Names High School will soon be moving to New York after being selected during the NFL Draft in Detroit on Saturday.
Playing bingo in April made a local resident $100,000 richer -- and will keep him in his home.
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J.T. Miller had a goal and assist and the Vancouver Canucks edged the Nashville Predators 2-1 to re-take the lead in their first-round playoff series.
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The Brooks Bandits got down to business Friday, defeating the Okotoks Oilers 8-2.
An Alberta political scientist said the NDP leadership hopefuls remained fairly even following the first of the party’s debates.
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About 100 delegates from around the province travelled to Timmins, Ont., for its annual general meeting and convention at Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is looking for community input on some design concepts for the waterfront.
Meeting next week, city council in Sault Ste. Marie will get an overview of what to expect if it decides to implement a new tax on empty homes in the city.
Legendary sportscaster Bob Cole was a Newfoundlander through and through, and his daughter says his connection to the province was 'everything' to him.
Cenovus Energy has been ordered to pay a $2.5-million fine for its role in the largest offshore oil spill ever recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador.
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
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