LONDON, ONT. -- The pain and loss is still raw for Wayne Dunn and his family after his 33-year-old daughter Allison died in June from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“She went through 44 days of radiation and chemo just for her kids and it just didn't work, said Dunn. “She was given 18 months and she lasted four and that's the sad part for a 33-year-old.“
Her father says the mother of three children, a two-, four- and five-year-old, lived a life giving to others.
“She was director of Community Service for House of Friendship in Waterloo, very similar to London Food Bank for homelessness and just helping people,” said Dunn. “She was over in India setting up women's literacy programs for eight months and her living conditions there were just awful but that's what she wanted to do.”
Now, in Allison's spirit, the Dunn family is organizing a run for brain tumor research on Sept. 19 called Dunn with Cancer. It all gets underway at Springbank Park starting at 1 p.m. with COVID-19 protocols in place.
“You're allowed in a specific area with a start time and a departure time and we have a COVID team that will be responsible to make sure everyone is social distancing,” Dunn explains.
Dunn says Allison would have appreciated an event like this because she too was a runner, spending plenty of time in the park.
“Allison was a half-marathoner and she raced for the STA cross-country team and hence this run again it's a tribute to her,” said Dunn.
