ANNUAL REPORT 2025 / 2026
Run Like 
A Deer
Contributing Writer: Mansur (Manny) Kassam
Just months earlier, in November 1997, he suffered a 
heart attack. A decade before that, he had lost his 
brother to heart disease. Now, standing on the track, he 
realized he’d been given something his brother never 
had: a second chance. “I said to myself, I’m very lucky to 
have survived a heart attack.” 
Determined to honour that second chance, Kassam 
immersed himself in his recovery, his rehabilitation 
becoming a lifelong commitment to healthy living. A 
few years later, he set an ambitious goal, to run a full 
marathon while raising awareness and funds for heart 
health. He called it his Marathon of Courage. 
On October 8, 2000, after years of rebuilding his health 
and months of training, he crossed the finish line in 
Victoria, B.C., raising more than $11,000. The marathon 
transformed his life. More importantly, it changed the 
way he thought about rehabilitation. 
Having experienced the journey himself, Kassam 
became convinced that society didn’t fully appreciate 
what rehabilitation patients accomplish. Behind every 
recovery was someone rebuilding a life, one hard-
earned victory at a time. 
It was a spring morning in 1998. Manny Kassam was at an indoor running track 
in Calgary, taking part in his weekly cardiac rehabilitation program. 
He was walking and running laps alongside a group of fellow heart patients 
when a peer beside him offered an offhand comment. “Run like a deer,” he said. 
It was a quick remark, but for Manny, it became something bigger. 
“Rehabilitation patients stand out due 
to their extraordinary courage, positive 
attitude, motivation, and determination 
in overcoming substantial obstacles in 
their lives,” he says. And their impact, he 
shares, often ripples outward. 
In 2002, after he and his wife, Nashirbanu, 
moved to Edmonton, Kassam found the perfect 
place to bring his vision to life: the Glenrose 
Rehabilitation Hospital. As a volunteer, his role 
quickly became twofold, drawing from his own 
experience to motivate and encourage others 
to find wellness. At the same time, he wanted 
to support fundraising for the equipment that 
makes rehabilitation possible. 
“When you have walked the rehabilitation 
road yourself, you can stand in front of a 
patient and say, credibly, ‘I have been where 
you are, and there is a way forward,’” he says. 
“Second, I wanted to support fundraising for 
the medical equipment that a rehabilitation 
hospital always needs. Encouragement and 
equipment, patients need both.” Inspired by 
what he witnessed through rehabilitation, 
Kassam approached the Glenrose’s senior 
leadership with an idea, to create an award 
that recognizes patients whose resilience could 
inspire others. They liked it. 
On October 19, 2006, the inaugural Glenrose 
Award of Courage, now known as the 
Courage Awards, was presented to burn 
survivor Spencer Beach. For Kassam, having the 
privilege of presenting the first award was a 
proud moment. 
“Standing there, a former rehabilitation patient 
myself, honouring another patient, was a full-
circle moment,” he says. 

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