While growing up, I learned about a man named Terrance Stanley Fox, who was born on July 28th. He is a legend known around the world, and what he did was unbelievably remarkable. He is an idol to me, and also my hero. He went by the name Terry Fox, and he had a dream of running across Canada. He had one prosthetic leg, and cancer that was spreading quickly through him, but that’s not enough to stop someone from their dream.


Terry was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada but he grew up in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was very athletic, and loved to play basketball. He wasn’t a very tall person, so he had to work extra hard at the sports he loved. Throughout his teen years he won many medals in diving and swimming. He started training in Cross Country in grade 8, which his coach had recommended he started. It’s a good thing he listened to his coach, or else he wouldn’t have realized his passion for running.


In 1977, Terry at 18 years old was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sacroma Cancer in his right knee. The cancer had already spread, and three days later his leg was amputated. The night before his amputation, Terry got a visit from his former coach, who showed him a magazine about a man who was in a wheel chair. The man participated in a New York Marathon. This was probably a big accomplishment for the man, and not many people had completed this task yet. It was then that Terry decided that he wanted to run across Canada with one leg, to raise money for cancer research. On April 12th, 1980 he dipped his prosthetic leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. Johns, Newfoundland. His plan was to dip his other leg in the Pacific Ocean when he reached it.


Terry unfortunately only made it to Thunder Bay. On September 1st, 1980, he was forced to stop running because of the cancer. Sadly, the running had made it too much for his body to handle. He died later on June 28th 1981. Terry didn’t complete his run but he did continue out with his dream and raised 1 million dollars for cancer research. Canadians later organized a telethon, and donated additional money. By February 1981, Terry’s dream of earning one dollar from every single Canadian had been fulfilled, and 24 million dollars had been raised! Even better, they eventually raised more money than just one dollar per person.


Even though Terry didn’t finish his race, he still completed his dream. Every year all across Canada there are Terry Fox runs in honor and appreciation of what he tried to achieve. I remember when I got to participate in Terry Fox runs for my school. We always earned a lot of money every year. It made everyone excited and happy to do something like the Canadian legend Terry Fox had done. We ran a lot, and I was always exhausted but it was still fun and worth it. Terry ran 3,339 miles and about 23.3 miles per day! He had dedication and bravery, and reached out to many people. He was the first person to begin a nationwide fundraiser in Canada. What he did was amazing, and he is remembered today and honored. Not only do we show appreciation by having Terry Fox