‘Courage and determination’: Saskatoon student receives Terry Fox Humanitarian Award

Naomi Lendvay has received a Terry Fox Humanitarian Award for her work helping others who have been impacted by childhood cancer. (Photo courtesy: Naomi Lendvay)

After overcoming a diagnosis that doctors initially believed to be terminal, Naomi Lendvay has been working to help others who have been impacted by childhood cancer.

“When I was six years old, I was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a kind of cancer, and it was in my abdomen. And through that, I found out after a 52-week treatment it didn’t work. And therefore, I had 12 months to live, which was obviously really hard. But I knew that with that time that I had left, I wanted to make a difference,” she told CTV News.

Lendvay shared that while she was in hospital surrounded by ‘get well soon’ balloons, she made a comment to her mom that sparked a big idea.

“I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t want to get well soon, I want to get well now,’ which is how Team Naomi Get Well Now was formed, and through Team Naomi Get Well Now, we’ve been able to raise over $350,000 for childhood cancer research,” Lendvay said.

Despite a grim outlook, Lendvay’s cancer suddenly began responding to treatment, and she beat the illness.

“[The doctors] don’t know why I lived. I still have to give swabs and stuff because I’m a medical miracle. I’m the only one with my severity of my cancer that has survived. And they think it might be something in my genetics. So, I have to give swabs and samples and stuff which is really great, I’m happy to do it just so that we can find a cure,” Lendvay said.

Lendvay’s ability to overcome adversity, as well as her drive to help others who have experienced similar hardship, resulted in her being one of 15 young Canadians to receive the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award this year.

“We look for the qualities and values that remind us of Terry. So, most of all, we look for the humanitarianism. So that’s the desire to help others before themselves and the determination to get through tough things,” Paulina Chow, CEO of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award said.

Created in 1982, the award and corresponding scholarship recognizes young Canadians who embody the values Terry Fox was known for. Lendvay shared that Fox’s legacy is one that has offered her a lot of inspiration throughout her lifetime.

“He has always been in my mind. I saw how him doing his Marathon of Hope was able to raise money and spread awareness across Canada, which was such a beautiful thing. And I knew that I wanted to try to make a difference the best I could,” Lendvay said.

Chow shared that while the award is not exclusive to those who have been impacted by cancer, Lendvay’s story is reminiscent of the late Terry Fox.

“In Naomi, we found the hope, courage and determination that reminds us of Terry so much. From coming out of a disease at childhood and to raising over $350,000 for cancer, it’s really, truly remarkable,” Chow said.

The young humanitarian recently travelled to Ottawa to meet her fellow award recipients and received recognition from the House Speaker in Parliament.

“They get a chance to create a community with like minded individuals. I always say they are very rarefied group in that they have two things that bind them together. One is they overcame some tremendous obstacle. And the second thing is that they decided to turn that towards helping others to award service right in humanitarian areas that fulfill critical needs in our society today,” Chow said.

Lendvay shared that the trip was a very impactful experience.

“It was so amazing meeting everyone. Every single person had their own story, and every single person was doing amazing things,” Lendvay said.

She added that speaking with the other award recipients and learning about the different reasons they were all being recognized was a very special opportunity.

“Everyone was there for a different reason, which was really, really special. So just learning their experiences has really inspired me to keep doing my work and that being a humanitarian is just something that is so special and can be done in so many ways,” Lendvay said.

Chow shared that annually recognizing young Canadians who are striving to make a difference is also a chance to inspire some hope for the next generation.

“Especially at a time like this when there are so many things that feel beyond our control. These awards really underscore the value of contributing to your communities towards helping others and finding solutions in difficult times,” Chow said.

For Lendvay, receiving this recognition has been a very memorable experience that has inspired her to continue helping others as much as she can.

“She told me that I won, and that was just an overwhelming amount of emotion. I was so incredibly thankful and excited because it is such a unique opportunity, because the award is just about humanitarians among our youth that are just really going to make a difference in the world,” Lendvay said.