Steve Fonyo is in hospital with serious injuries after he was stabbed during what police describe as a possible home invasion in Surrey, B.C., early Friday morning, CBC News has learned.

Police would not confirm that the victim in the home invasion was Fonyo, who after losing a leg to cancer ran a cross-Canada marathon called Journey for Lives to raise funds for cancer research.

Surrey RCMP will only say a 49-year-old man is in hospital following a targeted attack at his home in the 11000 block of 136 Street around 5 a.m. PT.

But neighbours said Fonyo has lived in the home with a woman since Christmas.

Previous Next Police confirm they have had been to the home several times before, with one neighbour telling CBC News that Fonyo's home was broken into just two weeks ago.

Police said their initial investigation suggests a home invasion involving three men and possibly a woman, who came to the home and assaulted a man. They say a woman was also at the home, but was not injured.

Fonyo's troubled history

​Fonyo was 19 years old when he ran across Canada in 1985 on an artificial leg, following in the footsteps of Terry Fox, who was forced to abandon his Marathon of Hope four years earlier.

In completing the run Fox could not, the teenager raised millions for cancer research and became a national hero. In the years since, the one-time hero battled personal demons including cocaine addiction and depression.

By 1996, Fonyo had criminal convictions for assault, fraud and possession of a stolen vehicle. Ten years later he had amassed at least seven driving convictions, including impaired driving, for which he served time in jail.

In December 2009, Fonyo's Order of Canada was revoked.

Fonyo married Lisa Greenwood of Delta, B.C., in August 2010. When it emerged that she had been convicted and sentenced to jail time for theft and assault, several local businesses that had agreed to sponsor the wedding decided to pull their sponsorships.

In January 2011, Fonyo received an 18-month conditional sentence for a string of offences including uttering threats against his new wife.

Investigators carry a prosthetic leg from a home where Steve Fonyo was stabbed during a possible home invasion early Friday morning. (CBC)

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