On Sunday, Sept. 20, thousands of Canadians will don running shoes and pound pathways in a virtual Terry Fox Foundation run to support cancer research, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope.
But, who was Terry Fox?
A Canadian, yes.
An athlete, definitely.
A cancer survivor, that, too.
A victim of cancer, ultimately.
But he was so much more.
He WAS and IS hope.
"It's Got to Keep Going Without Me."
Terry Fox was only 18 when he lost a large portion of his right leg to cancer, a loss that would forever change his life, his future, and put him on the path to national heroism, even if that wasn't his goal.
A mere four years after the amputation, the Winnipeg youth set off on a nationwide marathon to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The run would begin in St. John's, NL, Canada's eastern-most province, and end Sept. 1, 1980, in Northern Ontario, some 5,373.6 kilometres later, with the words, "It's got to keep going without me."
The pain he had pushed through each morning and night had travelled to his chest, and he could cope with it no longer. He had pounded the highways through six provinces to get here —143 days of jogging on an artificial limb made of fibreglass and steel that stretched from his thigh down into his shoe.
What kept him moving? What kept him focused on his goal?
Sheer will. Unbridled determination. His goal was not only to finish in British Columbia, but to end his run with desire to raise $1 for every Canadian: $22 million. But, that wasn't to be. No, this spunky, determined teenager would defy the odds and skeptics to raise not only more than his goal, but the hopes and dreams of every Canadian lining the shoulders, cheering him on.
He was their hero.
He was their hope.
The Marathon of Hope ended with $23.4 million for the Canadian Cancer Society, and a fan club that would keep his dream alive for the next 40 years, and counting.
And on June 28, 1981, one month shy of his 23rd birthday, Terry died of the disease that had ravaged his once healthy body. The cancer had spread to his lung. Surrounded by family, he passed his legacy onto a new generation of Marathon of Hope runners that began the following September, which raised another $3.5 million.
And now, it's your turn. Register for Sunday's run HERE.
— Editorial and Photo source: Terry Fox Official Website
Terry's Story
- Terry Fox: A Story of Hope by Maxine Trottier
- The Terry Fox Run by Jane Gould
- Terry Fox by Bryan Pezzi
- Terry by Douglas Coupland
- The Greatest Canadian: Volume 2 (video recording) by CBC
- Run by Eric Walters (RealFiction)
Terry's Words of Wisdom
“I’ve said to people before that I’m going to do my very best to make it, I’m not going to give up. But I might not make it… if I don’t, the Marathon of Hope better continue.”
“There can be no reason for me to stop. No matter what pain I suffer, it is nothing compared to the pain of those who have cancer, of those who endure treatment.”
“I’ve got cancer in my lungs. We have to go home and do some more treatments. But all I can say is that if there is any way I can get out there and finish, I will.”
“Today we got up at 4 a.m. As usual, it was tough. If I died, I would die happy because I was doing what I wanted to do. How many people could say that? I went out and did fifteen push-ups in the road and took off. I want to set an example that will never be forgotten.”
“I got satisfaction out of doing things that were difficult. It was an incredible feeling. The pain was there, but the pain didn’t matter.”
“To me, being famous myself is not the idea of the run, and it wasn’t from the very beginning. To me, the only important part is the Marathon of Hope.”
“I could not leave [the cancer ward] knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be set free from mine. I was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause.”
“They seem to forget what I’m doing this for. They think I’m running across Canada on some kind of an ego trip. It is a personal challenge, but I’m trying to raise as much money as I can for a very important cause. I need their financial support.”
“People take it the wrong way when I say I want to run alone. But I have to do it my own way. I have to really concentrate to ignore the pain and keep going. Sometimes I’m actually crying while I’m running but I just don’t think about it.”
“I set daily goals for myself, and it’s really important that I achieve them. I need to have a daily sense of accomplishment. I know if I fall short of those goals that I will never finish.”
“I decided to take it (cancer) as it was. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. I wanted to do everything I could, everything that could be done.”
“When I started this run, I said that if we all gave one dollar, we’d have $22 million for cancer research, and I don’t care man, there’s no reason that isn’t possible. No reason!”
“I’m not doing the run to become rich or famous.”
“It’s one thing to run across Canada, but now, people are really going to know what cancer is.”
“People were still lining the road saying, ‘Keep going, don’t give up, you can do it, you can make it, we’re all behind you.’ There was a camera crew waiting to film me. I don’t think they even realized that they had filmed my last mile… people were still saying, ‘You can make it all the way Terry’. I started to think about those comments in that mile too. Yeah, I thought, this might be my last one.”
“I’m not a dreamer, and I’m not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”
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