Months after being viciously attacked in a suspected home invasion, former marathon runner Steve Fonyo is making a remarkable recovery.
The 49-year-old was stabbed in the back at his Surrey residence on Feb. 13 in what Mounties believe was a targeted attack, and he spent weeks in hospital in a medically induced coma.
Though his speech is impaired and he’s still barely able to walk, Fonyo said his outlook is positive and he believes he’ll make a full recovery.
“Oh yeah, for sure. No doubt about it,” he told CTV News.
Fonyo suffered a collapsed lung and a serious head injury in the brutal attack, and said it’s weighed heavily on him and his family.
“It’s tough on everybody,” he said. “I didn’t hurt anybody. I didn’t do anything to anybody. I didn’t deserve this.”
Though Fonyo came out of the coma in mid-March, he wasn’t well enough to speak with detectives about his attack until recently.
Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet said Mounties still managed to make great progress in their investigation, and are closing in on the people they believe are responsible.
“Thankfully witnesses and physical evidence were able to provide a lot of pieces to this puzzle,” Paquet said.
Paquet said the RCMP expects at least two people will be charged, and it’s possible a third will join them.
Fonyo rose to fame in the 1980s for running across Canada to raise money for cancer research. His achievements were later overshadowed by a number of criminal convictions, which resulted in the government revoking his Order of Canada.
Fonyo, who’s leaving Royal Columbian Hospital next week to begin rehabilitation in Kelowna, said right now he’s just happy to have been given another chance.
“I’m very lucky to be alive and just life in general, I’m very thankful for everything,” Fonyo said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst
