Terry Fox

Image:Terry fox.jpg

Terry Fox on his run

Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox, CC (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian humanitarian, athlete, and cancer treatment activist. He is considered one of Canada's greatest heroes of the 20th Century, and is now begining to be celebrated all around the world.

Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Rolly and Betty Fox. He was raised 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 Vancouver's Simon Fraser University.

In 1977 after feeling pain in his right knee, he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma cancer. At the time the only way to treat his condition was to amputate the leg.

3 years after losing his right leg at age 20, 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.

1 The Marathon
2 Legacy
3 Portrayed in Culture
4 Miscellaneous Honours
5 See also
6 Bibliography
7 External links

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The Marathon

Beginning by dipping his 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. His pace was daunting.

He ran an average of 42 km a day — the distance of a typical marathon. No one had ever done anything similar to the task Fox was undertaking.

He could not finish his run, however, as the cancer spread to his lungs and he was forced to abandon the course on September 1, 1980 just north-east of Thunder Bay, Ontario after 143 days, running 5,373 km (3,339 miles) through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario.

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Legacy

The Marathon of Hope captured the nation's attention. He was proclaimed a national hero, and the annual Terry Fox Run events organized all across Canada, in the United States, and in other countries around the world, have raised more than $400M for cancer research.

Image:Terry fox running.jpg

Terry Fox

Fox's heroism has inspired other Canadians to similar feats in the name of charitable causes. This has included Steve Fonyo, another runner who also had a leg amputated owing to cancer and who retraced the same route as Fox and then proceeded to complete the run to the west coast in the name of cancer research. A close friend of Fox's, Rick Hansen, a paraplegic athlete, was also inspired to make his own trek around the world in his wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord injury research.

One of the other effects of the Marathon of Hope was Terry Fox helped to change the public view of people with disabilities. He helped to foster a positive image of people who used to be labeled 'disabled' by showing how his abilities far exceeded those of many able bodied people. His legacy continues to remove the stigma of both disabled people and also those with cancer.

Today, artifacts such as his artificial limb are preserved by the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. His shoes have also been preserved.

Mt. Terry Fox in British Columbia, near Valemont, is named after hvgfvbfbgfbngfnbgf

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Portrayed in Culture

Image:ValueTales - Terry Fox.jpg

A ValueTale biography of the Canadian amputee athlete and Cancer victim Terry Fox

His story is dramatized in the 1983 HBO TV movie, The Terry Fox Story, which the Fox family always has criticized as being too negative as it depicts 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.

While Terry Fox was on his Marathon a pop song was composed: 'Run Terry Run' 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 - towards Terry's undying cause.

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.

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