Terry Fox: A Real Canadian Hero

I spent a good part of my adult life living in Calgary, Canada and while there learned about Terry Fox. He is a household name in Canada and I was just thinking about him recently and wondered if anyone in the U.S. had ever heard of him and the heroic feat that he accomplished. I spoke to a few of my fiends here and none of them had ever heard of him so I thought it would be a good idea to fill everyone in on this great man.

Terry Fox was born in British Columbia, Canada in 1958. He had a very normal childhood and was active in all types of school sports including hockey, lacrosse, and track. In 1976, just after high school graduation, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and within a few short months of the initial diagnosis he had to have his right leg amputated. This was debilitating news for the young man who had always been athletic and active and he assumed that his athletic days were behind him but, on the eve of his surgery, one of his former high school coaches paid him a visit and brought with him an article about an amputee who had just run the New York marathon. The story proved to be an inspiration for Terry and he decided that once equipped with his artificial leg he would raise money and awareness for cancer research by running across Canada.

After a couple of years of prep work the "Marathon Of Hope", as it came to be known began in St. John's Newfoundland in April, 1980. Terry dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic Ocean with plans to do the same in the Pacific Ocean once he reached his final destination on the west coast of Canada.

His trek began with no real media attention but as time and the miles passed (he averaged around 26 miles per day), his story caught the attention of the media and the public alike and his family was bombarded with letters and donations by an adoring Canadian public.

Terry ran for 143 consecutive days, covering more than 3,300 miles in the process before, on September 1980, the cancer returned and his run came to an early end. The cancer had spread rapidly throughout his body and on June of 1981 Terry passed away at the young age of 22. During the run, he was able to raise over 1.5 million dollars for cancer research, and telethons were held the weekend after the run ended raising a further 10 million dollars. A major hotel chain announced plans to hold an annual marathon in his honor which has raised over $350 million to this day.

Since his death numerous awards and accolades have been heaped on Terry Fox. He received the Companion Of The Order Of Canada, an award similar to knighthood, voted Canadian Of The Year in 1980 by the Canadian press, has had roads and mountains named in his honor, and in 1999, 18 years after his passing, was voted Canada's greatest ever national hero in a survey held in a magazine survey proving that he is still very dear to the hearts of a majority of Canadian people.

In this day and age of pampered, overpaid athletes who have become heroes to many, and whose questionable behavior seem to be overlooked, I think it's important that people, especially our kids, hear about people like Terry Fox. A man who gave everything in the hope that he could help others.