Forty years ago, Terry Fox was no Canadian legend.
He was a 19-year-old cancer patient laying in a hospital bed the night before a surgery that would amputate his right leg above the knee, reading a copy of Runner害羞草研究所檚 World that his high school basketball coach had given him.
On the cover: Dick Traum, an above-knee amputee and the first runner to complete the New York City Marathon with a prosthetic leg.
害羞草研究所淭erry, that night, dreamed of running across the country,害羞草研究所� said Darrell Fox, Terry害羞草研究所檚 younger brother. 害羞草研究所淗e said, 害羞草研究所業f this guy can run 26 miles on an artificial leg, then why can害羞草研究所檛 I?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
The next 16 months of cancer treatment changed Terry irreversibly. The suffering that he witnessed during his time in the cancer ward would change him in ways he could never have predicted.
害羞草研究所淭erry would often say that he was almost glad that he had been diagnosed with cancer, because before the disease he was very self-centred,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淏ut by experiencing cancer, and by seeing the suffering of others, he realized he was missing something in his life. And that was giving back.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淗e wanted to act on that. That害羞草研究所檚 where the whole idea of the Marathon of Hope really came from, was from what Terry witnessed going through cancer and seeing the suffering of others. People passing away, and him asking, 害羞草研究所榃hy aren害羞草研究所檛 we doing more about this?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
Two years after his operation, Terry began to run again. He ran half-miles in the dark, when no one could see him.
He didn害羞草研究所檛 tell his family about his idea for a cross-country run. Not yet. First he had to convince himself that he was capable.
Prosthetics in the late 1970s were nowhere near as advanced as they are today. Terry ran on a modified walking leg and he had to take an extra hop on his left leg to allow his artificial leg to swing through. The pressure not only on his good leg but on his stump was intense.
害羞草研究所淗is feet and his toes were always a mess,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淏ut he learned to deal with pain. He looked at it rather simplistically. He always reflected on those that he害羞草研究所檇 left behind in the cancer ward and he knew that they lived with pain 24 hours a day.害羞草研究所�
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害羞草研究所淭hey didn害羞草研究所檛 have a switch. They couldn害羞草研究所檛 shut it off. Whereas Terry realized he could. At any moment he could stop running and his pain would go away. So that was always an inspiration for him and always motivated him to keep going, realizing that there were those out there that just didn害羞草研究所檛 have that option.害羞草研究所�
Terry ran every day for 101 days, until he could run 23 miles in a day. He ran more than 3,000 miles in preparation for the Marathon of Hope.
Terry finally told his family about his dream in 1979 after he completed a 17-mile race in Prince George.
He had finished the race in last place, but when he returned and told his family that he wanted to run across the country, it was a question of when, rather than how or why.
害羞草研究所淵ou just knew,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淢e, being a younger brother who admired his older brother and who knew the kind of person he was. If Terry Fox had said he was going to run around the world, I would have believed him.害羞草研究所�
A month later, Terry sent the Canadian Cancer Society a letter announcing his intention to run across Canada to raise money for the fight against cancer.
害羞草研究所淭he running I can do,害羞草研究所� he wrote. 害羞草研究所淓ven if I have to crawl every last mile.害羞草研究所�
The Marathon of Hope
Darrell was 17-years-old when he flew across the country to join his older brother on the Marathon of Hope.
害羞草研究所淭here was no initial plan. I was in my final year of high school and it was late May 害羞草研究所� I was just really excited that I was going to miss a month of high school,害羞草研究所� Darrell said, laughing.
害羞草研究所淣ot realizing, not understanding what I was about to be a part of,害羞草研究所� he said.
It was a surprise for Terry. He hadn害羞草研究所檛 known Darrell was going to join the marathon until he saw his brother standing on the side of the highway, just outside of Saint John, New Brunswick
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a memory that I害羞草研究所檒l cherish for the rest of my life,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淵ou know, I害羞草研究所檇 seen Terry run. I ran with him at times on the track at Hastings Junior Secondary in PoCo. But that day, I害羞草研究所檒l never forget that image.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淏ecause you knew now that he was in the midst of fulfilling a dream. He looked even stronger than he ever did back training,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚 thought he was invincible.害羞草研究所�
Darrell got in the camper van with Terry害羞草研究所檚 friend Doug Alward, and the Marathon of Hope kept moving. At that point, Terry had been on the road for six weeks, and he had been receiving support and gentle encouragement from the Maritime communities he ran through. Nothing like they would see in Ontario, but vital support all the same.
Take Port-Aux-Basques in Newfoundland, for example. The small community, population 10,000, raised $10,000 for the cause, which gave Terry the idea of raising one dollar for every Canadian.
害羞草研究所淚t was like being on your favourite amusement park ride and the thrill of never wanting to get off. That was what every day was like, being on the Marathon of Hope,害羞草研究所� said Darrell.
37 tears ago today: Terry is forced to stop his Marathon of Hope. Please donate in Terry's memory
害羞草研究所� TerryFoxFoundation (@TerryFoxCanada)
害羞草研究所淚 was witnessing Canada the way no one had seen it before and I was also able to take in a nation embracing my brother and cheer him on,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚t was so much good.害羞草研究所�
Terry ran for 143 days, covering more than 5,300 km through six provinces. He was two-thirds of the way home to B.C. when he was forced to stop on September 1, 1980.
The pain in his chest had become too great, and he asked Alward to drive him to the hospital. The next day, Terry held a press conference and announced that his cancer had returned, and it had spread to his lungs.
害羞草研究所淚 never 害羞草研究所� I thought Terry would finish the Marathon of Hope,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淚 didn害羞草研究所檛 think anything could stop him. But it did.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 try and focus on every day after. How the nation embraced Terry and came to his support, the telethon that happened in September of that year that raised over $10 million,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淗e was as tough then as he was every day prior to that in terms of how he was going to approach it. He sent that message out there. If he could recover from it, he would, but if he didn害羞草研究所檛, he hoped that the Marathon of Hope would continue. And it has.害羞草研究所�
Today, there are annual Terry Fox runs in more than 20 countries around the world and the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $715 million for the fight against cancer.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e come a long way in those 37 years in terms of eradicating cancer. There害羞草研究所檚 a long way to go, but we害羞草研究所檝e come a long way,害羞草研究所� said Darrell.
害羞草研究所淸Terry] believed that one person can make a difference. That limitations are self-imposed,害羞草研究所� said Darrell. 害羞草研究所淭erry was just a very average individual. But through hard work and a never-give-up attitude, everything is possible.害羞草研究所�
The Terry Fox Research Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary this October. Since it launched in 2007, the TFRI has collaborated with more than 60 cancer hospitals and research institutes across Canada.
Darrell is a Senior Advisor at TFRI. 害羞草研究所淲e review research grants from across the country,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淎nd with a heavy focus on team science. We want, like Terry brought the nation together in 1980, we want researchers 害羞草研究所� [and] institutions to come together, as opposed to competing against one another.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淭here are lots of great, quality research studies that aren害羞草研究所檛 being funded because of a lack of resources. So the foundation continues to fill a very large void in terms of supporting research out there,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淭erry害羞草研究所檚 not here, but he害羞草研究所檚 still our lead. He害羞草研究所檚 still giving us direction, we害羞草研究所檙e still following his road, his journey.害羞草研究所�
To find where your nearest Terry Fox run is, visit
