Terry Fox

Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba; he was raised in Port Loquitlam, British Columbia. Terry was very active he played lots of sports. When he was 18, he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma. He had his right leg amputated.

Terry decided to run the "Marathon of Hope." He started at St. John’s Newfoundland. He stopped just outside of the Thunder Bay, because he had lung cancer. He died June 28th, 1981 at the age of 22. Worldwide, he raised more than $360 million. The Terry Fox Run is held across Canada and the world. From every dollar raised, $.03 went to the administration,$.10 went to fundraising, and $.87 to cancer research funding. After 18 months, Terry Fox ran more than 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles). Terry ran 42 kilometers (26 miles) a day through Canada’s Atlantic Provinces, Quebec, and Ontario. The first Terry Fox Run, held in 1981, attracted 300,000 people across Canada, and raised $3.5 million.

Terry Fox made a journey that Canadians would not forget. Here are some quotes by Terry Fox:

“If I don’t finish, we need others to keep going without me.”

“If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope.”

“I like challenges; I don’t give up.”

“Nobody is ever going to call me a quitter.”

“That’s the thing about cancer. I’m not the only one. It happens all the time to people.”

“Somewhere the hurting must stop…I was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause.”

Terry Fox played soccer, baseball, and rugby. He competed in track and field and did some cross-country running, but he really wanted to play basketball. Terry Fox's best friend was Doug Alward.