It's been 33 years since Terry Fox ran his Marathon of Hope and on Sunday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets across the nation and right here in southwestern Ontario to raise money to fight cancer.

Many of the runners come as part of a team, like a team of almost 50 people running for Kevin Siddall.

The 14-year-old Windsor native is in a London hospital undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Friends and family came from all over to support him and raise money for cancer research.

"From as far away as New York, down into Windsor, Kitchener, Waterloo, yeah, we've come from everywhere," jokes Kathy Siddall, Kevin's aunt:

While the recovery rate from this form of Hodgkins is good, the treatments can be tough.

It's an example of how cancer can affect anyone.

"He's an athlete, plays hockey, baseball. His father's actually played in the professional league with the Detroit Tigers, so it was quite a shock that he was diagnosed so quickly. He's not doing well right now. He's had his first round of chemo and he's got to have his second one," adds Siddall.

Meanwhile, David Mitchell died last October of lung cancer.

He was 45.

Over two years, Mitch's Mates have raised over $15,000 to honour him.

"Mitch was a crazy guy, who did a lot of funny stuff and just made everyone laugh," says Ashley Charron of Mitch's Mate.

As was the case during Fox's Marathon of Hope in the early 1980's, optimism permeates all these runs.

David Dauphinee attended Windsor's Terry Fox Run on Sunday.

As a member of the RCMP in 1980, he escorted Fox around Newfoundland, before the Marathon of Hope became national news.

Terry Fox continues to impact his life..

"Just an incredible feeling to meet somebody that was so determined. I went through a bout of cancer three years ago and I'm a survivor," beams Dauphinee.

The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $600 million dollars for cancer research over the past 33 years.