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Terry Fox

by William from Toronto

Able-bodied people train for years to be able to run a marathon. To run one every day for over four months, on one leg is an extraordinary accomplishment. Terrance Stanley Fox (known to most of us as Terry Fox) accomplished this in 1980. He did this so no one would ever have to go through what he went through and to raise money and awareness for cancer research. When I think of heroes I think of people that help others, that inspire others, and leave a lasting impression on humanity. For these reasons Terry Fox is my hero.

While Terry was alive he gave hope to people that had cancer by showing them he could accomplish amazing things even with the disease. He also raised millions of dollars and awareness for cancer research. Terry also helped others by creating an outpouring of hope for those that lived with cancer. Terry Fox's goal inspired millions of people which lead to multiple fundraisers after his death.

With this hope and dedication others were inspired to run and raise money with Terry, which encouraged him to keep going and pursue his goals. This united the country toward a common cause and created a great deal of national pride in Canada. It's fair to say that Terry Fox inspired a nation. Terry Fox also inspired other athletes, organizations and businesses to support the fight to conquer cancer. Terry started the base of funding for cancer research which today is the number one charity out there.

The people he helped and the nation he inspired has left a lasting legacy for Canadians and the world. Because of Terry Fox's dream of finding the cure for cancer his name has raised over five hundred million dollars. His name is marked down on thirty two streets and roads, twenty school and buildings, seven statues, a mountain, an ice breaker, and also six movies and forty eight books were created to tell Terry Fox's story. But it is not because he is famous that he is my hero. He is my hero because of the bravery, courage and commitment he demonstrated in his marathon of hope. Due to these characteristics he united the country and made everyone proud. Today, thirty years later the name Terry Fox remains in the hearts of all Canadians and we live his legacy through our run every year.

Terry Fox showed compassion, commitment and perseverance to accomplish his goal of finding a cure. I admire these characteristics. Sometimes when we are faced with challenges, it's easy to give up. But when you look at Terry as an example, and the challenges that he faced, compared to what challenges we have, it helps put everything into perspective. Terry Fox was an extraordinary person. People like Terry are one in a billion and don't come along very often but when they do, the impact they make on society is miraculous.

Page created on 4/7/2011 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/7/2011 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The MY HERO Gallery - For the Gallery Page dedicated to Terry Fox - also by William.