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Terry Fox

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File:Terry fox.jpg
Terry Fox on his Marathon of Hope cross-country run.

Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox, CC (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer treatment activist. He became famous for his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research, running with only one leg. He is considered one of Canada's greatest heroes of the 20th Century, and is now beginning to be celebrated all around the world. He is celebrated every September all around the world as people participate in the 'Terry Fox Run', the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.

Biography

Terry (Terrance)Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Rolly and Betty Fox. He was raised with his 2 brothers and sister in the family home on Morrill Street in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.

His goal in life was to become a physical education teacher. After graduating with honours in high school, he applied to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia and was accepted as a kinesiology student.

In 1977, after feeling pain in his right knee, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. At the time the only way to treat his condition was to remove his right leg several inches above the knee. Three years after losing his right leg at age 18, the young athlete decided to run from coast to coast in order to raise money for cancer research. In creating the Marathon of Hope, his goal was to raise $1.00 from every Canadian citizen.

A Marathon of Hope

Main article: Marathon of Hope

Terry began by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980. He aimed to dip it again in the Pacific Ocean at Vancouver, British Columbia. He also filled two large bottles with Atlantic Ocean water; his plan was to keep one as a souvenir and pour the other one into the Pacific. His plan was to run about 42 km (26.2 miles) a day, the distance of a typical marathon. No one had ever done anything similar to the task Fox was undertaking.

Unfortunately, Fox could not finish his run. The cancer had spread to his lungs, and he was forced to abandon the course on September 1, 1980 just northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario after 143 days. He had run 5,373 km (3,339 miles, or around 23.3 miles per day) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario.

File:Terry fox running.jpg
Terry Fox

Soon after Fox was forced to stop, the CTV television network organized a telethon in hopes of raising additional funds for the cause. Any celebrities within range of Toronto were invited to participate, and the event raised millions of dollars. Many of the guests paid tribute to Fox; TV actor Lee Majors called him "the real Six Million Dollar Man."

The year after his legendary run, Terry Fox died one month shy of his twenty-third birthday.

The Terry Fox memorial statue, Simon Fraser University

Legacy

The most important legacy of Terry Fox has to be the hundreds of millions of dollars raised for cancer research by him and in his name. Part of the research has gone into improving treatments including that of the cancer that ultimately killed Fox. Children who now are diagnosed with osteosarcoma will rarely have amputations, and their lifespans have been greatly increased.

The other lasting legacy of Terry Fox has been the creation of an annual international charity run that raises money for cancer research. The Terry Fox Run was established a few years after his death and has raised hundreds of millions around the world.

In 1985, Steve Fonyo, another Canadian who also lost a leg to cancer, successfully ran the full length of Terry's intended course.

Terry Fox also helped remove the stigma that often surrounded disabled persons. He showed that people with physical limitations were able to excel in physical acts that even healthy able-bodied people would struggle to accomplish. He further helped raise the profile of cancer and its effects on society. Prior to his marathon, cancer was a little-discussed topic in Canada.

Many schools across Canada, like Ajax, Ontario's Terry Fox Public School, are named in his honour

Portrayals

His story is dramatized in the 1983 HBO TV movie, The Terry Fox Story, which the Fox family has criticized for its negative depiction of Terry as having a fiery temper. In 2005, a new movie produced by the CTV television network retold his story, titled simply Terry. Fox was portrayed by Shawn Ashmore. Author Douglas Coupland also chronicled Fox in his 2005 book Terry - The Life of Canadian Terry Fox.

While Terry Fox was on his Marathon of Hope, a pop song was composed. "Run Terry Run" was performed by the Nancy Ryan's Singers.

In 1982, British singer/songwriter Rod Stewart wrote the song "Never Give Up On A Dream", off the album Tonight I'm Yours, as a tribute to Terry's Marathon of Hope. Proceeds from the song went towards cancer research.

In a public opinion poll, Terry Fox was voted the most famous Canadian of the 20th century. He was voted number two on The Greatest Canadian list.

Honours

File:FoxLoonie.jpg
The Terry Fox dollar, issued in 2005

External links

Bibliography

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