Canadians haven't always thought of themselves as being Canadians first. In many ways they have more in common with the Americans who live directly south of them than they do with the Canadians that live in the other provinces.But something happened in 1980 that united the country and made people more proud to be Canadian than they ever were before.
A young amputee ran 26 miles a day, starting on the east coast with the goal of finishing on the west coast in his home province of British Columbia. The purpose of Terry Fox's run was to raise money for cancer research.
As a freshman at Simon Frazier University in 1977, Terry Fox was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a form of cancer which often starts around the knees.
Not only was Terry's leg amputated, but also, during a year-and-a-half period of chemotherapy, Terry temporarily lost his hair and felt very sick. Nevertheless, he had read of a man with one leg who finished the New York City Marathon and as his condition improved, Terry practiced running, which was not something that prosthetic legs were made for at that time.
Having witnessed the suffering of many young cancer patients during his course of treatment, Terry was motivated to raise money for cancer research. Even before he was close to his stated goal of running a marathon, Terry had another goal that he kept secret from his family: he was going to run twenty-six miles a day across Canada as a fundraiser for cancer research.
The Terry Fox "Marathon of Hope" began on April 12, 1980 when Terry dipped his right leg in the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Newfoundland.
The Ontario Provincial Police provided an escort as Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope went through that province.Gale force winds, mountainous terrain, spring snowstorms, and an initial lack of interest from other Canadians did not stop Terry as he began his Marathon of Hope. And as it progressed, journalists, celebrities, and many ordinary people along Terry's route were impressed by his courage and determination.
On September 1st, 1980, outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Terry was forced to stop running because of an intense coughing episode and chest pain. He was encouraged to resume running by people that had come out to witness his Marathon of Hope. However, a few miles later, Terry realized that he needed to be taken to a hospital. Tests that were done revealed that Terry was not only running 26 miles each day on one leg, but also with a tumor in each of his lungs. One of the tumors was the size of a golf ball and the other was as big as a lemon.
The Marathon of Hope had to be discontinued as Terry was transported to a hospital closer to home. He had run 3339 miles in 143 days, raising 1.7 million dollars.
But the story is far from over. The week after Terry stopped running, the CTV television network held a 5-hour telethon which raised over 10 million dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Terry Fox died on June 28, 1981 with his family by his side. In a press conference, the head nurse of Royal Columbian Hospital announced that Terry had died "surrounded by...the love and prayers of the entire nation." His funeral was broadcast on national television and the Canadian government ordered that all flags would fly at half-staff - something that until that point had only been done for statesmen.
One of several statues of Terry Fox is this one near Thunder Bay, Ontario, just off the Terry Fox Courage Highway.An annual Terry Fox Run now takes place in many locations in 60 countries. Over $500 million has been raised in Terry's name to fight cancer. Find out more about it at the Terry Fox Foundation website.
Additional Sources:
The Montreal Gazette, 4/28/1980
Terry Fox an entry in Wikipedia
Various YouTube videos
