Terry Fox
One Man. One Dream. One Leg-acy. - Dylan Scott (former student)
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“It took cancer to realize that being self-centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others.”
I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”
“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”
“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.”
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One Leg Does All of the Work
In 1965 at age 24 Dick Traum was crushed between two cars at a gas station and had to have his right leg amputated. Undaunted, Traum, who had always been an athlete and had wrestled in college, learned how to walk and eventually run with a prosthetic leg. In 1976 Traum became the first amputee to successfully complete the New York City Marathon.
Traum’s story, which was featured in Runner’s World, became a source of inspiration for Terry Fox in 1977. Fox, a high school athlete in Canada, had to have his leg amputated because of bone cancer. Like Traum, Fox was determined not to let his disability become a limitation. He set out to run a marathon every day until he ran the length of Canada (5,000 miles), calling it the Marathon of Hope, which would raise money for cancer research. Fox made it over 3,300 miles, but had to stop because the cancer had metastasized in his lungs; he never recovered and died in 1981.
Traum’s story, which was featured in Runner’s World, became a source of inspiration for Terry Fox in 1977. Fox, a high school athlete in Canada, had to have his leg amputated because of bone cancer. Like Traum, Fox was determined not to let his disability become a limitation. He set out to run a marathon every day until he ran the length of Canada (5,000 miles), calling it the Marathon of Hope, which would raise money for cancer research. Fox made it over 3,300 miles, but had to stop because the cancer had metastasized in his lungs; he never recovered and died in 1981.
Allowing Defeat to Inspire
Marathon of Hope - the route "from sea to sea"
Which map would you select if you were recording the dates? Distance traveled? Explain your answer.
April 12, 1980 to September 1, 1980
42 km per day for a total of 5,373 km
143 days from St. John's, NB to Thunder Bay ,ON
Where did Terry Fox start running?
He ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs.
He ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs.
Run by Eric Walters
Thirteen year-old Winston MacDonald -in trouble again after a suspension from school and a runaway attempt - is sent to spend time with his father -a journalist who hasn't been around much since his family split up. Travelling to Nova Scotia with his father, who is covering what he thinks is just a human interest story about a man trying to run across the country, Winston meets Terry Fox and his best friend, Doug Alward. Their determination to achieve what seems like an impossible goal makes a big impression on Winston, and he takes courage and inspiration from Terry's run. This first book for young readers about Terry and the Marathon of Hope is a blend of fact and fiction and is fully endorsed by the Terry Fox Foundations and Terry's family. All of Eric Walter's royalties will be donated to the Terry Fox Foundation.
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During the process of writing Run, Eric had a tremendous amount of contact with Terry’s family, his best friend Doug Alward, and people associated with The Terry Fox Foundation. With the approach of the 25th anniversary, Eric starting thinking of things that were being planned to mark the occasion. While many events were being considered, none seemed large enough to capture the scope of Terry’s vision. Eric thought of one such plan.
Terry's Parents - Betty and Rolly
Doug Alward - Terry's Best Friend
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Movies
Former NBA star Steve Nash, who was inspired by Fox as a child, directed a 2010 documentary called Into the Wind, which chronicles Fox's run.
Ethan Smallwood
Most kids will dress up as their favourite superhero for Halloween and Ethan Smallwood is no different. But his hero isn’t Superman or Batman — it’s Terry Fox. The seven-and-a-half-year-old boy from from Clarke’s Beach, N.L., is following in Terry’s footsteps by raising money for cancer research.
Weeks after the Grade 2 student at All Hallows Elementary School in North River came home and announced he wanted to dress up as the Canadian icon, his hero, for Halloween, to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research, the results have been astounding. Ethan Smallwood, aged 7, has raised almost $23,000, including $700 Thursday night while going door to door for Halloween.
