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Terry Fox

by Katrina from Calgary, Alberta in Canada


Terry Fox was a great Canadian hero. He kept his head up high and succeeded with his dream. Terry ran half-way around Canada and raised money for cancer research to help other people. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 28, 1958. He was raised in Port Conguitlan, British Columbia, and lived in a small community near Vancouver.


Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland, on April 12, 1980. Terry was an active teenager and he played many sports. When Terry was 18 years old, the doctors found out that he had cancer in his right leg. He was forced to get his right leg amputated. When Terry was in the hospital, he saw the other cancer patients and many of them were young. Because of this, he decided to run across Canada to help raise money for cancer. Every different place he went, he stopped to make a speech to explain that he was raising money for cancer and he wanted everyone to donate at least one or two dollars.


Terry had a lot of hope. He was a young man with lots of dreams. On April 12, 1980, he dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean. Even when he was ill, he had a lot of hope that continue until he died. Terry ran 20-30 miles per day on one real leg and one artificial one. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5373 km, Terry was forced to stop running on the outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, because the cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981, one month before his 23rd birthday. He was 22. Terry's dream of collecting $1 from every Canadian was realized; the Marathon of Hope raised $24.17 million for cancer research.

I chose Terry Fox to be my hero because he was a brave hero who attempted to run across Canada. I also choose Terry Fox because he cared about others and not just himself. Terry ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Terry got people to realize that they had to start doing something for cancer research. Terry also helped people realize that they had to think about others and not just themselves.

Page created on 4/12/2006 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/12/2006 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.

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