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| Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox July 28,1958 - June 28, 1981 |
“I want to set an example that will never be forgotten.” - Terry Fox
Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In early 1980, he started the Marathon of Hope, which was a cross-country run to raise money for cancer research. His goal was to raise one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million people. He began the marathon with little support from St,John's, Newfoundland in April and ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day.
Fox had become national news by the time he reached Ontario; he made many public appearances with businessmen, athletes, and politicians in his efforts to raise as much money as he could. He was forced to end his Marathon of hope outside Thunder Bay when the cancer spread to his lungs. His hopes of completing his marathon and overcoming the disease ended when he died less than a year later.
The Marathon of hope lasted 143 days and 5,373 kilometres or 3,339 miles, and his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held 36 years ago, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over $650 million has been raised in his name.
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| photo from www.terryfox.org |
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