• Ryan Cairny has been named Stouffville’s Terry Fox Ambassador for 2026.
  • The announcement follows his recent battle with osteosarcoma, the same type of cancer Terry Fox had.
  • Cairny’s persistent knee pain in early 2025 was initially diagnosed as arthritis, but further testing revealed it was cancer.
  • Declared cancer-free in July, he is continuing physiotherapy and rehabilitation as he works to regain his strength and mobility.
  • As Ambassador, Cairny hopes to encourage others to listen to their bodies, seek answers when something doesn’t feel right, and maintain a positive outlook during difficult times.
  • The Terry Fox Run takes place on Sept. 20 at Memorial Park.

 

When Ryan Cairny learned he had the same type of cancer that Terry Fox faced, his focus wasn’t on honours or recognition. It was on beating the disease.

Now cancer-free and continuing his recovery, the Stouffville resident has been named the community’s Terry Fox Ambassador for 2026, a role he hopes will allow him to help others facing their own health challenges.

“It’s pretty cool,” Cairny said of the appointment. “It’s kind of cool to be recognized in a way that [can help] somebody, or many people, in any way, as little as it may be, or as great as it may be.”

Cairny’s journey began in early 2025 when persistent knee pain started to interfere with his daily life. As a lifelong athlete and active contractor, he initially believed the discomfort was related to long standing knee issues. Early scans suggested arthritis, but the pain continued to worsen.

“It was getting worse,” he said. “It was just getting more limitations. I couldn’t do my job. I couldn’t… play with the kids, I couldn’t coach baseball.”

After additional tests, scans, and blood work, Cairny received the news no one wants to hear.

“My doctor… basically said, ‘What’s coming back is saying it’s cancer,’ in my knee,” he recalled. “First instinct was just this flood of emotions being like, ‘What did you just tell me I had?'”

Further testing at Mount Sinai Hospital confirmed the diagnosis. It was there doctors informed him he had the same cancer Terry Fox battled.

“When they told me it was what Terry Fox had, and giving me percentages, and survival rates, and amputation rates of these things, then it really kind of sunk in what was happening, and what I had, and the severity of it,” Cairny said.

The possibility of amputation became one of the most difficult emotional hurdles he faced.

“They were talking about amputation,” he said. “That was probably the first big emotional hurdle I hit.”

Throughout the ordeal, Cairny said the support of his family helped him maintain a positive outlook. One of the most difficult conversations was telling his two young daughters about the diagnosis.

“The kids, my two daughters, was probably the hardest part of dealing with it,” he said. The conversation was especially challenging because both girls were already familiar with Terry Fox’s story through school.

“They know the story of Terry Fox, and to be honest, both of them in school were very emotional towards it,” Cairny said.

Despite their fears, Cairny’s daughters became a source of strength during treatment. “They were…a huge driving force of staying positive, and being strong,” he said.

Today, Cairny is focused on rehabilitation and getting back to the active lifestyle he enjoyed before his diagnosis. In July, he reached a major milestone.

“As of July, I was cleared cancer free,” he said.

While he still faces months of physiotherapy and follow-up appointments, he says his recovery continues to move in the right direction. “Health-wise, I’m feeling great,” Cairny explained. “My weight’s back on, and… I’m back to a normal mental state.”

As ambassador for the 2026 Terry Fox campaign in Stouffville, he hopes to encourage others to pay attention to their health and advocate for themselves when something feels wrong.

“You know your body. You know when things aren’t right,” he said. “If something doesn’t feel right, push, get the answers.”

He also hopes people take away a broader lesson from his experience.

“Even with the horrible news in the beginning, and numbers, and percentages of survival rate, and amputation rate, and all these things… If you keep a positive outlook and mindset towards it, I think good things will come from it,” he said.

Stouffville’s Terry Fox Run will take place Sept. 20 at Memorial Park in Stouffville.