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Terry Fox

by Rayne Smyke from Swift Current, SK

"I want to try the impossible and show it can be done" is a quote I have lived by since I was a little kid. It was a session thought to me very young by not only Terry Fox but also by those who took it upon themselves to show me a better mindset. Terry Fox has been my hero since we started doing the run in elementary. He is my hero because he took it upon himself to show that the impossible can be done with the right amount of motivation. He went through the hardest and most painful occurrences in his life with a positive perception of everything he did. It allowed me to see how much I wanted to achieve the impossible and show those who doubt me that they were wrong. It also allowed me to do things for myself and others.

In 1980 Terry began a marathon of hope across the world to get the awareness of cancer out as well as to show people that one person can make a huge difference in this world. Terry ran 24 hours a day with many many people cheering him on and following him with cars and water tops. Many Canadians helped support him, and many individuals took it upon themselves to join in and run with him and run in their own communities. Terry was born in Winnipeg, as well as grew up there for a couple of years of his life. He started the marathon of hope across the world in April of 1980. He prepared for 18 months before running almost 50,000 km across the country known as Newfoundland.

My hero lived in a time of the essence in the 1980s, a time when there was so much happening around the world and many people weren't concerned about the issues happening around them. For example, cancer awareness. Terry was a determined athlete growing up and played a lot of sports. He started long-distance running in high school, and gradually the environment around him and his interests influenced him to start to do something that could impact his world dramatically. Although Terry Fox did not only create the foundation, he also suffered from cancer himself that eventually ended up killing him in the end. But he accomplished the goals he had set in the time frame he had, pushing every day, and every time it got harder for him, he knew he had to push harder in order to show people that the impossible can be done. That being said, he carried on running and encouraging people to join in and see the matter of the issue and how it affects not only middle-aged people but people of all ages. He didn't start running for fun. He witnessed firsthand what cancer does to people and it encouraged him to start his journey, which we all know as the marathon of hope. 

Terry Fox is important to me mainly because he represents a hero to me in so many different ways; for example, he suffered from illnesses himself and took it upon himself to make a difference anyway, and any time he took a break from running, it wasn't long before he was back at it again. He devoted his time and energy to those in need and not just towards himself. there are not many people in this world that could've done that nor would've tried in the first place. He is important to me because any time I am involved in something that can make a difference in this world, I'm always going back to how could I try and push this influence further so that more people see the idea of what I'm trying to do. I see Terry Fox as an idol and someday I hope to be as positive and helpful as he was. Truthfully he spent more time helping others than he did himself. Even when suffering from severe pain, he still changed his mindset towards those who have it worse and he kept going until he physically couldn't anymore. He is important to me because everything I've done in my life, the amount of effort I've placed into things, whether it is in academics or sports charity, it has all been influenced by Terry Fox. When I say that, I mean that the things I've done, I have never given up or never given only half my effort, because my mind goes straight to Terry Fox and how he pushed so hard even when he didn't have the energy or physical levels for it. He has made difference in my life because when I first started hearing about Terry Fox, I sorta laughed and shook it off as though It wasn't important, but gradually as I took the time to learn and educate myself more about what he actually did and accomplished, I began to realize that wholly that is someone who I want to be like. I put my all on the table for those who were in need. He has managed to allow me to see how important it is to help others and be a part of something big in this world. 

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete that took it to the next level and made it so everyone could remember that the impossible is possible if you push yourself hard enough and allow people to see when you fail and when you succeed. Terry Fox showed both success and failure to assure those that it is not all butterflies and rainbows, there is always sweat and tears when trying to achieve the impossible, and show that it can be done. We take what we have for granted. I certainly did until I educated myself on the story of Terry Fox and his marathon of hope. After that I remembered that sometimes you have to suffer in order to succeed or you will never accomplish the things you wanted in the first place. That is why Terry Fox is my hero because without the perspective he placed in my head at a young age, I would've never been able to see the world for what it is, nor would I have become the person I am today, someone who not only thinks about others but his charities and is pushing to become an influencer on this world myself someday. 

 

 

https://terryfox.org/terrys-story/

https://www.tfri.ca/about/terry-fox

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terry-fox#:~:text=However%2C%20Fox%20was%20forced%20to,of%20more%20than%20128%20marathons

https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmvvqa/terry-fox-is-the-most-important-athlete-in-canadian-history

 

Page created on 5/27/2021 6:37:51 PM

Last edited 5/28/2021 5:59:06 AM

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