It only took 12-year-old Tyler Leonzio 23 minutes and 17 seconds to run five kilometres yesterday in the Safeway Father’s Day Walk and Run for prostate cancer in support of his grandpa.
Tyler’s grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, has gone through radiation and is now being monitored by doctors. “I’m just trying to help to find a cure,” said Tyler, who ran with his father Dean Leonzio.
This is the second Father’s Day Walk and Run in Calgary in support of prostate cancer, which was held in eight other cities in Canada.
“It’s fantastic that we have a great crowd of people out here today to create awareness about the disease, talk to men about getting detected and raise funds through research,” said Greg Sarney, vice-president of development for prostate cancer Canada.
Sarney said one in six men will be affected in their lifetime and 250,500 men in Canada will be diagnosed this year.
Organizers hoped to raise more than $1 million across Canada, said Sarney.
Calgarians raised approximately $150,000, almost double the 2008 amount.
