Terry Fox

Close up of Terry durning the Marathon Of Hope (http://images.google.ca/images?q=Terry+Fox&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N)

Terrence (Terry) Stanley Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba but was raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, near Vancouver. He was a very active and athletic young man. But in 1977, when Terry was 18, he was unfortunately diagnosed with bone cancer. Terry was forced to have his right leg amputated; it was cut off 6 inches above the knee. The night before his surgery, Terry read an article about an amputee who had competed in the New York Marathon. After reading that story, going through all his own pain and experiences, and seeing so many other victims of cancer suffer, Terry was inspired to run his 5,300 mile "Marathon of Hope." It was an attempt to run across Canada to raise money for the battle against cancer.

Terry Fox running the Marathon Of Hope (http://images.google.ca/images?q=Terry+Fox&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N)

Terry Fox was a very caring individual. He cared so much about fighting cancer and finding a cure, not just for himself, but for the others who suffered from it as well. Terry wanted to do something to help stop all the suffering, so he decided to run the "Marathon Of Hope" to raise money for cancer research. Terry wanted to make a difference for the victims and future victims of cancer.

The route Terry ran (http://images.google.ca/images?q=Terry+Fox&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N)

Terry was a very determined person. To get ready for his run, he trained for 14 months. That is a really long time, but he was able to stay focused becasue he knew what he wanted to do and how hard it would be. Terry showed his determination when he didn't let the fact that he had an artificial leg stop him. He wanted to run, and a fake leg wasn't going to stop him.

Terry giving a speach (http://images.google.ca/images?q=Terry+Fox&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N)

Terry seemed as if he couldn't be beat, as if he were invincible. But everyone soon realized he was still an ordinary person when he couldn't finish the race because the cancer had spread to his lungs. Terry showed the world that he was just an ordinary person when cancer took his life.

A statue in the memory of Terry (http://images.google.ca/images?q=Terry+Fox&hl=en&lr=&start=0&sa=N)

Terrence Stanley Fox died on June 28, 1981, at the age of 22. He showed us what a caring and determined person he was when he ran the Marathon of Hope. He cared so much about helping people who were suffering from cancer and people who would in the future. To date $300 million has been raised for cancer research in Terry's name. He showed us that you don't need to be a "Superhero" to make a difference.