Steve Fonyo stabbed in Surrey home invasion: report

SURREY, B.C. – Steve Fonyo, who finished Terry Fox's run across Canada only to see his achievements overshadowed by criminal convictions and jail, reportedly suffered serious injuries Friday during a possible home invasion near Vancouver.

The Mounties said a 49-year-old man was transported to hospital after an early morning stabbing at a home in Surrey, south of Vancouver. Investigators believed three men entered the home in what was likely a targeted attack.

The RCMP did not identify the victim, but local media and the CBC identified the man as Fonyo, who grew up in Vernon.

Fonyo's mother, Anna Fonyo, confirmed to The Canadian Press that her son was in hospital, but she did not know what had happened to him.

Jag Sidhu, who owns a house that has been surrounded by police tape, confirmed Fonyo lives in the home. Sidhu said Fonyo has been behind on the rent and the house's electricity was recently cut off.

Sidhu didn't know any details about the assault.

Fonyo lost a leg to bone cancer as a child.

Inspired by Terry Fox's unfinished Marathon of Hope, Fonyo set off from St. John's, N.L., on a run he dubbed the Journey for Lives in the spring of 1984, arriving in Victoria in May of the following year.

He was awarded the Order of Canada and named The Canadian Press Newsmaker of the Year.

But Fonyo later battled cocaine addiction and depression, and in 1996 he pleaded guilty in an Edmonton court to more than a dozen charges ranging from assault with a weapon to fraud and theft.

He was handed a 18-month conditional sentence and two years of probation, and he was ordered to pay about $11,000 to two supermarkets where he bounced dozens of cheques.

By 2008, Fonyo had accumulated at least seven driving convictions including impaired driving. He was sentenced that year to 30 days in jail to be served on weekends.

In 2011, he received an 18-month conditional sentence after pleading guilty to uttering threats and fraud.

He was formally stripped of the Order of Canada in 2010. The honour can be revoked for several reasons, including if a recipient is convicted of a criminal offence.