Terry Fox

Terry Fox during the Marathon of Hope. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/fox_terry/)

Terry Fox was born in the year 1958 in Manitoba, and died in 1981 in British Columbia of a condition called metastatic osteosarcoma, a type of cancer that spreads through one’s muscles and tendons. He grew up undyingly passionate toward a vast variety of sports and excelled in them greatly. In a fatal car crash, his right knee was severely damaged. He was then diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He lost his leg to this sickness, later replacing it with a prosthetic copy. He wished to set things right for those suffering the same pain as himself and, with remarkable effort, managed to achieve this goal.

Terry met the status of a champion in several ways. Even in his early youth during his junior high days, he was seen as an inspirational person. He pushed himself the extra mile in a number of sports. He practiced daily and his growth was unbelievable, especially considering that he was only five feet tall and was required to work harder than larger students. Another accomplishment of his is never giving up, even after his diagnosis and the loss of his real leg. His biggest victory was running the Marathon of Hope and raising money for cancer research. Terry Fox was an influential hero all around.

I consider him to be a true champion because, in spite of the hardships he faced that seemed to turn the odds against him, he remained confident and determined to leave a lasting mark on the world. In a sense, I can relate to the idea of perseverance with the development of my skills as an author. I started out small, and, despite facing errors and frustration during my growth, have made a great leap with my literary skills.