The Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research

Every September 16, Canadian schools and communities across the country participate in the Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research. In 2010 and 2011 combined, the Terry Fox foundation distributed over $50,000,000 to agencies engaged in cancer research, including The Canadian Cancer Society, The Terry Fox Research Institute, international cancer research organizations, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Who is Terry Fox, and how was he able to motivate all this collaboration to ease suffering from cancer?

According to a story that was first recorded in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, in 490 BC, the slave messenger ran from Marathon to the ancient Greek city state of Athens, carrying news that the small Athenian army had defeated the much larger Persian army. After completing the run, a distance of just over 25 miles, the messenger is said to have collapsed from exhaustion while the triumphant city state celebrated the victory. To commemorate this man's run, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896, the Marathon race of around 40,000 metres, or 26 miles, was established as an official Olympic event.

Today Marathon races are held around the world, and people train for months to develop the strength and cardiovascular stamina to complete the gruelling run, which racers complete in 3 to twelve hours. Workout schedules, nutrition, and rest days are worked into training regimes, and most racers rest the day after.

Have you ever pictured yourself running in a Marathon?

Now picture yourself not only running one, but repeating it day after day, every day for 143 days.

Now picture yourself doing this on one leg.

• in September, 1980 he was invested in the Order of Canada, the youngest person to be so recognized
• he received the Lou Marsh Award in 1980 as Canada's top athlete
• he was named Canada's Newsmaker of the Year in 1980
• several Canadian roads, schools, buildings, a mountain and a provincial park have been named after Terry Fox
• his mother, Betty Fox, was chosen as one of the eight people to carry the flag of Canada into the Olympic Stadium at the opening of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games

This will give you the idea of Terry Fox's achievement, for he ran the equivalent of a marathon every day for 143 days from St John's, Newfoundland, to Thunder Bay, Ontario with one sound leg and an artificial one. An athlete, long distance runner, and basketball during high school and his year at university, Terry Fox had had his right leg amputated above the knee in 1977 when he was diagnosed with bone cancer. He was 19 years old.

Determined to use his experience and suffering to give hope to others who were battling cancer, Fox initiated his Marathon of Hope. His plan was to run across Canada from sea to sea, to raise the equivalent of one dollar from each of Canada's 24 million citizens. His Marathon of Hope started at the Atlantic coast in Canada's eastern-most province, Newfoundland, on April 12, 1980. Alongside as Terry ran, his friend Doug Alward drove the van, where Terry could eat meals and rest.

As Terry's race continued, more and more Canadians came out to greet him, cheer and donate money to his cause. At each city, Terry spoke to larger crowds, urging their generous support. As the summer progressed, Terry became more and more exhausted, but he refused to give up. Finally, on September 1, just outside Thunder Bay on the North shore of Lake Superior, Terry had to stop running because he was having pains in his chest and trouble breathing. He was driven to the hospital, where doctors confirmed that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Terry had run his last mile. He had run 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi) and had raised 1.7 million dollars. Donations continued after he could no longer run, and by February 1,1981, Fox's Marathon of Hope had raised 24.17 million dollars, realizing his dream of raising one dollar for every Canadian.

Terry returned home to Port Coquitlam, British Columbia for further treatments, but the cancer continued to spread. He died on June 28, 1981, in a coma in Royal Columbia Hopsital in New Westminster, with his family around his bed.

“It took cancer to realize that being self-centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others.”

“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”

With his death, Terry Fox's achievement was just beginning. His example of compassion and courage inspired the nation to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation that continues his vision to raise funds for research to find a cure for cancer. To this day, over $600 million dollars has been raised worldwide in Terry Fox's name to end cancer.

One of Terry Fox's firm supporters was Isadore Sharp, founder of the Four Seasons Hotels, who had also lost a son to cancer. After Fox's death, Sharp initiated the idea of holding an annual one-day run to raise funds for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research. The first Terry Fox Run was held on September 13, 1981. Since then, this run is held annually in communities and schools across Canada, and is the single largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.

Terry Fox lost his fight with cancer, but his vision has touched the lives of millions of Canadians. This young man from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia died just before his 23rd birthday, but his Marathon of Hope continues.