Born Terrance Stanley Fox, 

on 28 July 1958 in Winnipeg, MB,

Terry was 18 years old when he was diagnosed

with osteogenic sarcoma in his right leg. 

 

That leg had to be surgically removed.

​

It was while undergoing chemotherapy 

at the cancer clinic in Vancouver 

that he felt the suffering of children also having cancer.

Some of them were dying.

​

Terry Fox decided to do something. 

​

Terry Fox decided to run across Canada

to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

 

On 12 April 1980,

at the eastern-most part of Canada, at St. John’s, Newfoundland,

he dipped his right foot in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean,

and began his Marathon Of Hope.

 He set out towards the Pacific Ocean,

running an average of 42 kms (26 miles) per day.

 

That is, he ran a marathon a day !

In a prosthetic leg !

 

He'd covered 5,373 kms in 143 days

but was forced to stop in Thunder Bay, Ontario,

on 1 September 1980,

when the cancer had spread to his lungs.

 

The Marathon of Hope

had raised $ 24 million by February 1981.

The annual Terry Fox Run

has raised many hundreds of millions for cancer research.

 

Terry died on 28 June 1981

in New Westminster, BC

just a month short of his 23rd birthday.

 

Terry is youngest person to be made

a Companion of the Order of Canada.