Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and
raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on
Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only
18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and
forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the
knee in 1977.
While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the
suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he
decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
He
would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.
After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres
(3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on
April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner
attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along
his route began to mount. He ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day
through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
However, on September 1st, after 143 days and
5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of
Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation
was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22.
The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was
just beginning.
The
Terry Fox Foundation
For over 30 years The Terry Fox Foundation has
worked to achieve Terry’s vision – a world without cancer. Its researchers,
staff and thousands of volunteers are determined to reach that goal. They
strive daily to uphold Terry’s ideals and values in everything they do – and
always will.
To date, over $750 million has been raised
worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run,
held across Canada and around the world.
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