Fonyo vows wedding will go on

Steve Fonyo, the one-legged athlete who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research, says his wedding will go on, despite his bride-to-be's recent run-in with the law.

Fonyo was due to marry Lisa Greenwood of Delta, B.C.,in August on the beach bearing his name, locatedwest of Victoria.

But after news broke earlier this week that Greenwood had been convicted and jailed for two months on theft and assault charges in June, several local businesses that had offered to sponsor the wedding withdrew support.

For a while it appeared Fonyo's wedding plans were in jeopardy, but on Friday afternoon Fonyo told CBC News the wedding will go on.

Earlier in the dayJohn Vickers, the executive director of the Victoria Truth Centre who initially stepped forward to rally support for the wedding, said in a statement: "I have been made aware that Steve and Lisa have some current challenges in their lives, and it is not my place to pass any judgments on them," wrote Vickers.

"My offer to help organize this wedding effort arose from my continued belief that Steve has made hugely positive contributions to society through his cross-Canada run and these contributions should never be forgotten.

"The planned wedding on Fonyo Beach was only possible through the contributions of a number of businesses and individuals, and these recent developments have resulted in much of this support being withdrawn.

"Unfortunately, both Steve and Lisa's lives are too complicated at this time for a supported wedding to occur. I wish them both well," Vickers wrote.

Loses Order of Canada

Fonyo, who lost a leg to cancer at age 12, received his Order of Canada in November 1985 for running nearly 8,000 kilometres across the country in 1984 and 1985 to raise more than $13 million for cancer research.

But earlier this year, Fonyo was stripped ofthe honourbecause of his multiple criminal convictions.

The one-time hero has battled personal demons, including cocaine addiction and depression. In 1996, he pleaded guilty in Edmonton to more than a dozen charges, ranging from assault with a weapon to fraud and theft.

By 2008, he had at least seven driving convictions, including impaired driving, for which he served time in jail that year.

Most recently, he has been working as an auto mechanic in Surrey, but had announced plans to move to the Victoria area.