Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope 27 years ago today
Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope 27 years ago in 1980 by dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. (Click here for a CBC News report.) Terry had lost a leg to cancer and wanted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He never completed his journey after his cancer returned and was forced to abandon his marathon on September 1, 1980, just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario. He became a hero to many. Today, there are statues in his memory and several public facilities named after him, including many schools. As recently as last year, a new school was named after him in Bathurst, New Brunswick. Every year, the Terry Fox Run is still held in many locations across Canada and around the world to raise money for cancer research. He died just a little over a year after starting his run on June 28, 1981, at the age of 22. His death was the top story on every national newscast and front-page news in every newspaper across Canada. Here's a great video tribute to Terry that was prepared by a YouTube contributor:
2 comments:
Hi Brian, I remember very well the Terry Fox story in it's day, I was a young teenager then. I remember him at City Hall here in Toronto, and I remember the final news footage of his marathon run (it was a daily news story). This sounds a little corny, but I had something of a crush on him as a kid, he was a real life hero, and before him, I had never become attached to one, and he seemed to me larger than life back then.
I cut out the front page of The Globe and Mail on the day he died and had it laminated. I still have it. I should hang it up somewhere. I took it down years ago.
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