STORIES
Lifesaver
DONATE

Terry Fox

by Emma from Calgary

Never give up
Terry, running his heart out <br>(http://www.darrenbarefoot.com<br>/images/terryfox2.jpg)
Terry, running his heart out
(http://www.darrenbarefoot.com
/images/terryfox2.jpg)

My hero is Terry Fox because he never gave up, until he had to. He tried to save many people's lives and raised a very big amount of money towards cancer research. He had fought cancer himself and he thought he could raise enough money to help others by running across Canada from coast to coast, pushing himself to the limit. Although he died after his cancer returned, and he had to quit the run, he helped many other people.

Brave Terry Fox, still running <br> (http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach<br>/cm/vol12/no3/terryfox.jpg)
Brave Terry Fox, still running
(http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach
/cm/vol12/no3/terryfox.jpg)

Terry's full name was Terrance Stanley Fox. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, where he spent most of his life here. When he was young he wanted to be a physical education teacher. After graduating with honours in high school, he applied to Vancover's Simon Fraser University. At this time Terry Fox was 18. Also at this time unfortunately he was diagnosed with bone cancer. To prevent the disease from spreading, his leg was amputated 6 inches above his right knee in 1977. Then he decided to do his run. He trained 18 monthe, running over 3000 miles to prepare for his run.

Hero forever<br> (http://www.spiralroad.com/sr/<br>grafix/terry_fox_stamp.jpg)
Hero forever
(http://www.spiralroad.com/sr/
grafix/terry_fox_stamp.jpg)

On April 12th, 1980, Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. Johns, Newfoundland starting his Marathon of Hope. His goal was to dip his foot in the Pacific Ocean at Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way on the other side of Canada. Another goal of his was to collect one dollar from every Canadian. On his run he collected 24.17 million dollars. He donated every cent to charity to help with cancer research. To this day because of him we have collected 330 million dollars towards cancer research.

Unfortunately Terry Fox's run was cut short because the cancer had spread into his lungs. He had run 5,373km through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Up until then, Terry had run 28 to 30 miles per day. That is like running a marathon every day! Terry Fox had continued his run for 143 days. When he first started, few people knew who Terry Fox was and what he was trying to do. By the time he hit Ontario, huge crowds were turning out to ee him, cheer him on and support his charity. On September 1st 1980, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Terry's run was cut short because the cancer had returned and this time in his lungs. He gave up his battle on June 28, 1981, almost one month before his 23 birthday.

Terry Fox Web (I made it.)
Terry Fox Web (I made it.)

I think that everyone in the world should remember him for doing these selfless deeds.

Page created on 3/31/2006 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 3/10/2020 4:45:58 PM

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

Terry Fox Foundation - Everything about Terry Fox
CBC News in Depth - An interview of Terry's mom
Simon Fraser University/Terry Fox - Helping find a cure for cancer because of Terry Fox
BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum - Best sports heroes
The Terry Fox Run / Singapore - A web site on Terry Fox