Terry Fox Would have Recently Celebrated His 66th Birthday

Terry Stanley Fox was born on July 28, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and from a young age exhibited the determination and tenacity that would later define his legacy. At age 18, he lost his leg to osteogenic sarcoma and underwent 16 months of treatment. Witnessing the suffering of other cancer patients, Terry decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research, embarking on what he called the Marathon of Hope. He ran nearly 42 kilometers (26 miles) a day stopping in over 400 towns and cities to share his mission.

On September 1, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running as cancer had spread to his lungs. Even from his hospital bed, he continued to advocate for cancer research, encouraging Canadians to support his Marathon of Hope. His efforts had already raised over $1.7 million. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981, just shy of his twenty-third birthday, but his legacy endured—the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and globally, has since raised over $850 million for cancer research.

July 28, 1958: Terrance Stanley Fox is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

March 9, 1977: Terry discovers he has a malignant tumour in his right leg; the leg is amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee. The night before his amputation he reads about an amputee runner and dreams of running.

February 1979: Terry begins training for his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research and awareness.

October 15, 1979: Terry writes to the Canadian Cancer Society to support his run: “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.”

April 12, 1980: St John’s, Newfoundland: Terry dips his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean and begins his odyssey. He runs an average of 42 kilometres a day (26 miles) through six provinces.

September 1, 1980: Terry stopped running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario; his primary cancer had spread to his lungs. Before returning to BC for treatment Terry said, “I’m gonna do my very best. I’ll fight. I promise I won’t give up.”

September 2, 1980: Isadore Sharp, Chairman and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, telegrams the Fox family with a commitment to organize a fundraising run that would be held every year in Terry’s name. He writes, “You started it. We will not rest until your dream to find a cure for cancer is realized.”

September 7, 1980: The CTV network organizes a star-studded telethon, lasting five hours and raising $10 million.

February 1, 1981: Terry’s hope of raising $1 from every Canadian to fight cancer is realized. The national population reaches 24.1 million; the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope fund totals $24.17 million.

June 28, 1981: After treatment with chemotherapy and interferon, Terry Fox dies at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, British Columbia – one month short of his twenty-third birthday.

September 13, 1981: The first Terry Fox Run is held at more than 760 sites in Canada and around the world. The event attracts 300,000 participants and raises $3.5 million.

April 20, 1982: The Marathon of Hope fund now totals $27.8 million and is allocated to cancer research projects in the Terry Fox New Initiative Programs of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

May 26, 1988: The Terry Fox Run becomes a Trust, independent of the Canadian Cancer Society. The organization becomes known as The Terry Fox Foundation.

1992: The first International Terry Fox Runs are held around the world. Participating countries were: Australia, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, USA, Zimbabwe.

August 28, 1998: The Terry Fox Foundation announced a new infusion of $36 million in funds for Canadian cancer research. The new program, called The Terry Fox New Frontiers Initiative, represents a departure from any existing research programs and will target increased innovation and risk.

April 12 to September 2005: The 25th Anniversary of Terry’s Marathon of Hope brought about several remarkable events and fundraisers. More than $45 million, a record amount, was raised in 2005.

October 29, 2007: The Terry Fox Research Institute is launched, combining the clinical knowledge of cancer physicians with advanced laboratory expertise of scientific researchers, overcoming barriers of discipline and geography.

April 1, 2015: “Running to the Heart of Canada” exhibit opens at the Canadian Museum of History. The exhibit will travel across Canada through 2017.

April 2020: The Foundation announces that over $800 million has been raised to support cancer research in Terry’s name.

May 20, 2020: The first release of the adidas 40th Anniversary Collection launches with the replica adidas Orion shoe; an item that sold out faster than any shoe in adidas launch history, under 10 minutes. Following collections were released throughout the year and included various t-shirts with Terry Fox quotes, additional restocks of the shoe, and a 2020 revised design of the original shoe.

Source: Terryfox.org