It has to be one of the most enduring Canadian images of all time – a young man running with a peculiar gait in the pouring rain, with an artificial right leg, along the Trans-Canada Highway with Marathon of Hope emblazoned across his chest on a T-shirt.
On his face, Terry Fox had what can only be described as a look of deep determination – the kind of determination that carried him through six provinces after starting his Marathon of Hope by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John’s, Nfld. on April 12, 1980 and heading west.
Terry’s Marathon unfortunately ended near Thunder Bay, Ont. in September, 1980, as his cancer spread to his lungs and he was unable to continue. After treatment with chemotherapy and interferon he passed away in B.C. on June 28, 1981, at age 22, but only after his Marathon raised $24.17 million, or his goal of one dollar per Canadian.
Many Canadians can still easily conjure up an image of Terry running, often accompanied by those whose imaginations he had sparked and who wanted to be part of his effort.
Over the years, Terry received many awards, some posthumously, ranging from B.C.’s Order of the Dogwood, to the Lou Marsh Award for outstanding athletic accomplishment to a Companion of the Order of Canada, the American Cancer Society’s The Sword of Hope and Canadian of the Year as voted upon by editors of Canadian Press.
A mountain in B.C. has been named for Fox and an 83-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada between Thunder Bay and Nipigon was renamed Terry Fox Courage Highway; a nine-foot bronze statue of Fox is located just off the highway at a site that overlooks Lake Superior, where his run ended.
Still, having seen and heard interviews at the time with the humble young man, we would hazard a guess that all of those awards and honours (including a Canadian stamp and dollar coin, a Coast Guard ship named after him and, in 1999, being voted Canada’s Greatest Hero in a national survey) would pale in his eyes compared to the fact that, 35 years later, Terry Fox Runs around the world still take place. As well, being that Terry’s goal was to raise funds for cancer research, $1 dollar for each Canadian, we would guess that he would be particularly enamoured of the fact that today, more than $700 million has been raised.
That’s why we would encourage everyone to take part in the Sunday (Sept. 18) runs in Banff and Canmore – to help keep Terry’s vision alive.
As with most things, grassroots efforts are very important, so it’s great to see that Terry Fox runs also take place in our area schools as today’s youth learn and comprehend the magnitude of the event launched by yesterday’s Terry Fox.
To judge the importance of youthful exuberance, in 2005 more than three million students and educators took part in the first National School Run Day, which raised a record $45 million.
In times of negativity, of disasters around the world, of millions suffering with cancers of all types, Terry Fox’s legacy continues to shine brightly and he remains a beacon to us all.
