Terry Fox’s legacy lives on. This past Sunday, Queen’s students, along with people across Canada and around the world, participated in the 25th annual Terry Fox Run. In 1977, when he was just 18 years old, Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer. While in hospital, he was moved by the patients around him to run his “Marathon
of Hope.” He started in Newfoundland in April 1980, running 42 kilometres a day for nearly five months before having to stop in Thunder Bay after cancer was discovered in his lungs. When it began, the “Marathon of Hope” didn’t garner very much attention, but Fox’s perseverance and dedication to his cause inspired the nation. In his journal during his run, he wrote: “If I died, I would die happy because I was doing what I wanted to do. How many people can say that? … I want to set an example that will never be forgotten.” Many other worthy organizations have hosted events like the Terry Fox Run, but few have come near its success. Twenty-five years after Fox began his run, $360 million has been raised worldwide. Of every dollar raised, 87 cents go directly towards cancer research through the National Cancer Institute of Canada. Countries around the world also host the Terry Fox Run and money raised goes towards institutions recognized by the International Union Against Cancer in Geneva.
Record participation—approximately 600 people, up from last year’s tally of 370—at Jock Harty Arena is testament to the fact that Terry Fox’s name has become a part of not only cancer’s history, but this country’s history as well. He reminds us of what we are capable of when inspired to act. Fox died of cancer in 1981 when he was 22 years old, but he managed to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. As young people, we should take a cue from Terry Fox and realize how much we can achieve through sheer determination.
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