Fox, (Terry) Terrance Stanley

Terrance Stanley Fox (Terry), "Marathon of Hope" runner (b at Winnipeg 28 July 1958; d at New Westminster, BC 28 June 1981). Terry Fox was a good athlete studying kinesiology when, in 1977, it was discovered he had osteogenic sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. It was necessary to amputate most of one leg. While recovering, he developed the idea for a "Marathon of Hope" - a run across Canada to raise money and generate publicity for cancer research. After extensive training, he began his run at St John's on 12 April 1980 and ended it on September 1 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, after cancer was discovered in his lungs. During that period, he had run 5373 km at a pace of nearly 40 km per day. Inspiring millions of people around the world, he drew nationwide attention and raised $1.7 million. Gripped by an outpouring of emotion, Canadians donated an additional $23 million to the fund. For his efforts, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and a BC mountain was named after him. Thousands annually participate in a fund-raising run named after him.

Author J. THOMAS WEST