TERRY'S LETTER REQUESTING SUPPORT

The night before my amputation, my former basketball coach brought me a magazine with an article
on an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon. It was then I decided to meet this new challenge head on
and not only overcome my disability, but conquer it in such a way that I could never look back and say it
disabled me.
But I soon realized that that would only be half my quest, for as I went through the 16 months of the
physically and emotionally draining ordeal of chemotherapy, I was rudely awakened by the feelings that
surrounded and coursed through the cancer clinic. There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who
had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. My quest would not
be a selfish one. I could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be
set free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop... and I was determined to take myself to the limit for
this cause.
From the beginning the going was extremely difficult, and I was facing chronic ailments foreign to
runners with two legs in addition to the common physical strains felt by all dedicated athletes.
But these problems are now behind me, as I have either out-persisted or learned to deal with them. I
feel strong not only physically, but more important, emotionally. Soon I will be adding one full mile a week,
and coupled with weight training I have been doing, by next April I will be ready to achieve something that
for me was once only a distant dream reserved for the world of miracles – to run across Canada to raise
money for the fight against cancer.
The running I can do, even if I have to crawl every last mile.
We need your help. The people in cancer clinics all over the world need people who believe in
miracles.
I am not a dreamer, and I am not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to
cancer. But I believe in miracles. I have to.
Terry Fox, October 1979

TERRY'S LETTER REQUESTING SUPPORT

The night before my amputation, my former basketball coach brought me a magazine with an article
on an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon. It was then I decided to meet this new challenge head on
and not only overcome my disability, but conquer it in such a way that I could never look back and say it
disabled me.
But I soon realized that that would only be half my quest, for as I went through the 16 months of the
physically and emotionally draining ordeal of chemotherapy, I was rudely awakened by the feelings that
surrounded and coursed through the cancer clinic. There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who
had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. My quest would not
be a selfish one. I could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be
set free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop... and I was determined to take myself to the limit for
this cause.
From the beginning the going was extremely difficult, and I was facing chronic ailments foreign to
runners with two legs in addition to the common physical strains felt by all dedicated athletes.
But these problems are now behind me, as I have either out-persisted or learned to deal with them. I
feel strong not only physically, but more important, emotionally. Soon I will be adding one full mile a week,
and coupled with weight training I have been doing, by next April I will be ready to achieve something that
for me was once only a distant dream reserved for the world of miracles – to run across Canada to raise
money for the fight against cancer.
The running I can do, even if I have to crawl every last mile.
We need your help. The people in cancer clinics all over the world need people who believe in
miracles.
I am not a dreamer, and I am not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to
cancer. But I believe in miracles. I have to.
Terry Fox, October 1979
 He runs a campaign of courage
by Leslie Scrivener, Toronto Star, April 16, 1980

Terry Fox is a living lesson in courage and

determination. Last Saturday, the 21-year-old cancer victim
with one leg set out to run 5,000 miles from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Oceans to prove that cancer can be beaten. […]

Nothing, not gale force winds, not pouring rain

nor spring snowstorm, not even the lack of a leg is going
to stop Terry Fox from running across Canada. " I come
from a competitive, stubborn family," says the 21-year-old
university student from Port Coquitlam, B.C., who lost his
right leg to cancer three years ago. "I have to prove to
myself that even though my leg was amputated, I am not
disabled. I am not going to let myself down."
His journey, to raise pledges for the Canadian Cancer Society, has only just begun. [...] A Simon
Fraser University student and former basketball and soccer player, Terry hopes to dip his artificial leg into
the Pacific Ocean next fall just as he dipped it in the Atlantic last week. If he keeps a pace of 20 to 30 miles a
day he should be on the cedar-lined shores of Stanley Park next October.
Terry says he feels "pretty good" even though his first four days of running on the TransCanada
Highway were slow, marked by heavy rain, a snowstorm, 40-mile-an-hour winds - "they held me to a
standstill, I couldn't move" - and very steep hills. [...]
Terry's determination dates to 1977 when he was an 18-year-old student in first year kinesiology who
learned the pain in his leg was bone cancer. Within a week, his muscular leg was gone from six inches above
the knee. The suffering and cancer deaths he saw during follow-up treatment made him all the more
determined to help fight the deadly disease that claims one out of every six Canadian lives. In the time it will
take to complete his run, it's estimated nearly 40,000 Canadians will be diagnosed as cancer cases. "I've seen
a lot of disability, people who were really shut in and away from life and who couldn't do anything. I want to
show that just because they're disabled, it's not the end, in fact, it's more of a challenge," he says. "In my year
and a half of chemotherapy, I lost my hair temporarily, and was very sick, yet, I was healthier than anyone I
met."
His father [...] says his son was inspired during his convalescence by a magazine story brought to
him by a basketball coach about a one-legged man who ran the New York marathon. "I decided if he did it,
I'm going to do it too," says Terry. He started training 14 months ago, walking a quarter mile a day, enduring
great pain and blisters, sores and the loss of toe-nails on his good leg because of the pressure on it. But he
ignored the discomfort because at the back of his mind was the single thought of the strong-willed New York
runner. [...] Last year, Terry ran for 101 consecutive days, training for this cross-Canada endurance test. [...]
"It convinced him he was in a good shape mentally and physically to complete the run," [says his father].
"Terry wants to help cancer research. He's seen a lot of young people not make it and that impression stayed
with him." […]
 The Marathon of Hope
by Leslie Scrivener, Toronto Star

September 1st , 1980. It was a dull day in Northern Ontario when

Terry Fox ran his last miles.

He had started out strong that morning and felt confident. The
road was lined with people shouting, “Don't give up, you can make
it!” words that spurred him and lifted his spirits. But after 18 miles he
started coughing and felt a pain in his chest. Terry knew how to cope
with pain. He'd run through it as he always had before; he'd simply
keep going until the pain went away.

For 3,339 miles, from St John's, Newfoundland, Canada's

eastern most city on the shore of the Atlantic, he'd run through six
provinces and now was two-thirds of the way home. He'd run close to
a marathon a day, for 143 days. No mean achievement for an able-
bodied runner, an extraordinary feat for an amputee. Terry's left leg
was strong and muscular. His right was a mere stump fitted with an
artificial limb made of fibreglass and steel. He'd lost the leg to cancer
when he was 18.

He was 22 now. [...] He was strong, wilful and stubborn. His

run, the Marathon of Hope, as he called it, a quixotic adventure across Canada that defied logic and
common sense, was his way of repaying a debt.

Terry believed that he had won his fight against cancer, and he wanted to raise money, $1
million perhaps, to fight the disease. There was a second, possibly more important purpose to his
marathon; a man is not less because he has lost a leg, indeed, he may be more. Certainly, he showed
there were no limits to what an amputee could do. He changed people's attitude towards the
disabled, and he showed that while cancer had claimed his leg, his spirit was unbreakable.

His Marathon of Hope had started as an improbable dream – two friends, one to drive the
van, one to run, a ribbon of highway, and the sturdy belief that they could perform a miracle. He ran
through ice storms and summer heat, against bitter winds of such velocity he couldn't move,
through fishing villages and Canada's biggest cities. Though he shunned the notion himself, people
were calling him a hero. He still saw himself as simple little Terry Fox, from Port Coquitlam,
British Columbia, average in everything but determination. But here, 18 miles from Thunder Bay, at
the head of Lake Superior, the coughing had stopped, but the dull, blunt pain had not. Neither
running nor resting could make it go away. [...]
 When Terry approached the Canadian Cancer Society about his run, its administrators were
skeptical about his success. They doubted he could raise $1 million and as a test of his sincerity,
told him to earn some seed money and find some corporate sponsors. They believed they'd never
hear from him again. But Terry persevered, earning sponsors and the promise of promotion from the
cancer society. On April 12, 1980, he dipped his artificial leg in the murky waters of St John's
harbour and set off on the greatest adventure of his life. “I loved it,” Terry said. “I enjoyed myself
so much and that was what other people couldn't realize. They thought I was going through a
nightmare running all day long. People thought I was going through hell. Maybe I was partly, but
still I was doing what I wanted and a dream was coming true and that, above everything else, made
it all worthwhile to me. Even though it was so difficult, there was not another thing in the world I
would have rather been doing. I got satisfaction out of doing things that were difficult. It was an
incredible feeling. The pain was there, but the pain didn't matter. But that's all a lot of people could
see; they couldn't see the good that I was getting out of it myself.”

And the people of Canada were latching on to Terry's dream. They wept as he ran by, fists
clenched, eyes focussed on the road ahead, his awkward double-step and hop sounding down the
highway, the set of his jaw, unflinching, without compromise. The look of courage. As a woman in
Toronto, Canada's largest city said, “He makes you believe in the human race again.” […]

Throughout his run and even in the months before, Terry neglected his medical
appointments. No one could force him to see a doctor for a check-up. He said he didn’t believe the
cancer would come back. [However,] doctors in Thunder Bay confirmed that cancer had spread
from his legs to his lungs. […] “I don't feel this is unfair,” Terry told him. “That's the thing about
cancer. I'm not the only one. It happens all the time, to other people. I'm not special. This just
intensifies what I did. It gives it more meaning. It'll inspire more people. [...]

For the next 10 months, Terry battled the disease. […] As he fought for his life, he was
honoured with awards […] and, most importantly, donations to his Marathon of Hope reached
$23.4 million. The Guinness Book of Records named him top fundraiser. A mountain was named
after him in British Columbia.

Terry died, his family beside him, June 28, 1981. […] There was nation-wide mourning.
Flags were flown at half-mast. But people didn't forget him and his story didn't end with his death.
The first Terry Fox Run was held that September
– more than 300,000 people walked or ran or
cycled in his memory and raised $3.5 million. [...]
 Terry Fox: write his biography

Canadian Humanitarian, athlete and cancer activist, one of Canada's greatest heroes
– July 28,1958 : birth in Winnipeg, Manitoba
– Childhood : near Vancouver
– 1977 : bone cancer and right leg amputation above the knee
– in hospital : decides to run accross Canada and raise money for cancer research
– name of his journey : the Marathon of Hope
– goal : get attention, collect money, raise $1 from each Canadian citizen
– Preparation : 18 months, 5.000 kilometers (3.107 miles)
– starting point : St John's, Newfoundland
– Departure : April 12th 1980
– Distance every day : 42
kilometers (26 miles)
through Quebec and
Ontario
– September 1st 1980 : end
of the run after 143 days
and 5.373 kilometers
(3.339 miles)
– June 28th 1981 : death
– 2005 : issue of the Terry
Fox dollar, first Canadian
on coins
– Today : Organization of
the Terry Fox Run around
the world every year,
goal : raise money for
cancer research

Terry Fox: write his biography

Canadian Humanitarian, athlete and cancer activist, one of Canada's greatest heroes
– July 28,1958 : birth in Winnipeg, Manitoba
– Childhood : near Vancouver
– 1977 : bone cancer and right leg amputation above the knee
– in hospital : decides to run accross Canada and raise money for cancer research
– name of his journey : the Marathon of Hope
– goal : get attention, collect money, raise $1 from each Canadian citizen
– Preparation : 18 months, 5.000 kilometers (3.107 miles)
– starting point : St John's, Newfoundland
– Departure : April 12th 1980
– Distance every day : 42
kilometers (26 miles)
through Quebec and
Ontario
– September 1st 1980 : end
of the run after 143 days
and 5.373 kilometers
(3.339 miles)
– June 28th 1981 : death
– 2005 : issue of the Terry
Fox dollar, first Canadian
on coins
– Today : Organization of
the Terry Fox Run around
the world every year,
goal : raise money for
cancer research
Terry Fox was both a Canadian humanitarian, an athlete and a cancer activist,certainly one of Canada’s greatest
[Link] was born on July 28,1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent his chilhood near Vancouver. Unfortunately,
he had bone cancer in 1977, when he was only 19years old. He had to have his right leg cut off above the knee. He was
such a brave young man that in hospital, he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer [Link]
called his long journey « the Marathon of Hope » .He wanted to get attention and collect [Link] actually
managed to raise $1 from each Canadian citizen. ( about 35M inhabitants) It took him 18 months, 5,000
kilometers(3,107 miles) to prepare his long race. Eventually, on April 12, 1980, he left from St John’s, Newfounland
and managed to run 42 kilometers (26 miles) every day through Quebec and [Link] stopped running on
september1,1980 after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) Terry Fox died on June 28,1981. He was 23 years
old. In 2005, he was the first Canadian to be portrayed on coins and the Terry Fox dollar was issued to honour
this great hero’s [Link], the Terry Fox Run is organized around the world every year in order to raise money
for cancer research.

Terry Fox was both a Canadian humanitarian, an athlete and a cancer activist,certainly one of Canada’s greatest
[Link] was born on July 28,1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent his chilhood near Vancouver. Unfortunately,
he had bone cancer in 1977, when he was only 19years old. He had to have his right leg cut off above the knee. He was
such a brave young man that in hospital, he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer [Link]
called his long journey « the Marathon of Hope » .He wanted to get attention and collect [Link] actually
managed to raise $1 from each Canadian citizen. ( about 35M inhabitants) It took him 18 months, 5,000
kilometers(3,107 miles) to prepare his long race. Eventually, on April 12, 1980, he left from St John’s, Newfounland
and managed to run 42 kilometers (26 miles) every day through Quebec and [Link] stopped running on
september1,1980 after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) Terry Fox died on June 28,1981. He was 23 years
old. In 2005, he was the first Canadian to be portrayed on coins and the Terry Fox dollar was issued to honour
this great hero’s [Link], the Terry Fox Run is organized around the world every year in order to raise money
for cancer research.

Terry Fox was both a Canadian humanitarian, an athlete and a cancer activist,certainly one of Canada’s greatest
[Link] was born on July 28,1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent his chilhood near Vancouver. Unfortunately,
he had bone cancer in 1977, when he was only 19years old. He had to have his right leg cut off above the knee. He was
such a brave young man that in hospital, he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer [Link]
called his long journey « the Marathon of Hope » .He wanted to get attention and collect [Link] actually
managed to raise $1 from each Canadian citizen. ( about 35M inhabitants) It took him 18 months, 5,000
kilometers(3,107 miles) to prepare his long race. Eventually, on April 12, 1980, he left from St John’s, Newfounland
and managed to run 42 kilometers (26 miles) every day through Quebec and [Link] stopped running on
september1,1980 after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) Terry Fox died on June 28,1981. He was 23 years
old. In 2005, he was the first Canadian to be portrayed on coins and the Terry Fox dollar was issued to honour
this great hero’s [Link], the Terry Fox Run is organized around the world every year in order to raise money
for cancer research.

Terry Fox was both a Canadian humanitarian, an athlete and a cancer activist,certainly one of Canada’s greatest
[Link] was born on July 28,1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent his chilhood near Vancouver. Unfortunately,
he had bone cancer in 1977, when he was only 19years old. He had to have his right leg cut off above the knee. He was
such a brave young man that in hospital, he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer [Link]
called his long journey « the Marathon of Hope » .He wanted to get attention and collect [Link] actually
managed to raise $1 from each Canadian citizen. ( about 35M inhabitants) It took him 18 months, 5,000
kilometers(3,107 miles) to prepare his long race. Eventually, on April 12, 1980, he left from St John’s, Newfounland
and managed to run 42 kilometers (26 miles) every day through Quebec and [Link] stopped running on
september1,1980 after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) Terry Fox died on June 28,1981. He was 23 years
old. In 2005, he was the first Canadian to be portrayed on coins and the Terry Fox dollar was issued to honour
this great hero’s [Link], the Terry Fox Run is organized around the world every year in order to raise money
for cancer research.