Two-time cancer survivor and Surrey resident Avtar Singh Virdi recently donated $51,000 to BC Cancer Foundation. He raised the money through Cross Canada walk from St. John of New Finland and Labrador to Vancouver.
The cheque was presented at 2 PM at their office at 96 avenue and 138 street, Surrey Memorial Hospital Surrey.
MLA Aman Singh, who was present at the occasion said, “What an inspiration and an honour to bring greetings from the Government of British Columbia, and Premier John Horgan and to stand with Prof. Avtar Singh Virdi, Inderjit Singh Bains, Jatinder Jay Minhas and the others in their team as they presented this heartfelt donation to the BC Cancer Foundation. Professor Virdi is a cancer survivor like myself and John. To raise awareness about cancer he traveled and walked in 13 cities across Canada,” said.
Virdi began his walk across Canada through 13 major cities from East to West to raise funds for Cancer awareness and research on June 14 from St. John’s, New Foundland & Labrador, the same spot where Terry Fox began his journey. He walked through 16 major cities of Canada, and concluded his journey in Vancouver’s Stanley Park on July 9.
He says his aim is to spread awareness about this life-threatening critical illness which he says according to research is going to take into its grip every second person in the coming years. However, there is still a lack of awareness about the treatment and even the reasons behind Cancer.
Virdi, who runs GTP Marvelous College that offers training for CELPIP and IELTS exams in Surrey, moved to Canada in 2004 with his family. An engineer by profession, but a teacher by passion, Virdi has been imparting English speaking skills and training to many students. He feels GOD gave him everything in abundance, but he started feeling something was wrong with his body. “It came as a shock to me and my family when I was diagnosed with Colon Cancer,” he says. He says he could not understand why he got it. But he says, “I have faith in medical science and treatment. I started following every Chemo or radiation therapy, they offered me. They declared me Cancer free. However, my Cancer relapsed within 2 years. I went through treatment again and was declared cancer-free on March 28,” he recalls.
It was at that time he decided to raise awareness about it. “During my treatment, I read about many conflicting theories, I read about many people who refused to take treatment, the more I read, the more I became determined to create awareness,” he says.
Virdi says, “Then I read about Terry Fox and I was greatly inspired by his small but great life of only 22 years. He spread the awareness of cancer in 1980 with an exemplary spirit despite his half leg being gone to cancer. I and millions of people have survived from cancer due to his walk that he started from St. John’s, New Foundland & Labrador in 1980 across Canada that he couldn’t complete.”
And now Virdi feels, it is his turn to contribute. He says, Terry Fox was a legend who inspired million, if he can attain even a small fraction of what Terry Fox did, he will consider himself lucky. “After surviving twice from cancer, 1 realized I am still alive due to Terry’s great vision for people like me. I feel Terry Fox is still alive in the hearts who know about him and have suffered from this critical illness like me directly or indirectly.”
