Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Every year, the Terry Fox Foundation holds 9,000 “official” Terry Fox Runs and partners with many schools to host a Terry Fox School Run.
In 2005, more than 3 million students and educators participated in the first National School Run Day. This year’s Terry Fox School Run is officially scheduled for Friday, September 26th, but schools are encouraged to host a run on whatever day fits into their schedule.
Wakaw School will be conducting its Terry Fox walk on Wednesday, September 24th, and Bellevue School is holding its on Friday, the 26th. RJC High School will also be taking to the streets to honour Terry Fox’s marathon on September 25th. Other schools in the area did not respond to queries prior to the deadline.
No matter what the distance, the journey, or the odds, Terry believed in a world without cancer, and the Foundation forged in his name and honour continues his mission. Nearly two in five Canadians will face cancer in their lifetime, but the average survival rates for ALL cancers combined have increased from 25 percent 80 years ago to over 60 percent today, and some types of cancer can have a survival rate of up to 90 percent in some cases.
Terry once said, “I wanted to set an example that would never be forgotten,” but the example he wanted to promote was not about himself; it was about how one person could make a difference. Over the years, the Terry Fox Foundation has created resources and lesson plans that focus not only on his marathon but also on the characteristics that made him who he was. His sense of responsibility, respect, courage, optimism, compassion, inclusiveness, empathy, integrity, and perseverance were central to his desire to change the lives of others for the better. During the latter parts of his marathon, as his efforts gained media attention, schoolchildren often came to meet him as he ran through their towns, and he talked with them, telling them, “I’m trying to be an example, a good example to people. If I make it to Vancouver, it’ll be great, but if I haven’t raised any money and I haven’t done that part of it and been an example to people, then it really isn’t even worth it.”
People around the world of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities have been inspired by Terry’s enduring legacy. Through the generous support of donors, partners, and volunteers, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $950 million and funded over 1,300 innovative cancer research projects, bringing hope and health to millions of Canadians.
September 1st, 45 years ago, Terry Fox was forced to end his Marathon of Hope just east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after 3,339 miles, and he felt he had failed. That day, he wrote in his journal, “21 miles, 3339 total.” He knew that the pain and fatigue he had been fighting for the previous two weeks could not be denied any longer and that his journey was at an end. Even though the doctors had removed his leg three years previously, the cancer had lain in wait as it can and often does, before metastasizing in his lungs.
Fox ran 5,373 kilometres in 143 days and raised more than $1.5 million for cancer research himself. As he lay in hospital, a week later on September 7th, Terry was watched as Canadians picked up the torch and raised another $10 million for cancer research in five short hours. By February 1981, donations hit $24.17 million, reaching Fox’s goal of receiving $1 for each of Canada’s 24 million residents. He had set in motion the framework for an event that, to date, has raised over $900 million for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world. (https://terryfox.org/terrys-story/)
The objective of effectively curing cancer has not yet been achieved; however, numerous individuals continue their pursuit of this critical goal. Terry named his endeavour the Marathon of Hope, drawing a parallel between marathons and the endurance required to complete a lengthy race. Although the end goal remains elusive, the understanding that it will eventually be attained instills a sense of hope.
Marking the 45th anniversary of the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope, Darrell, Terry’s younger brother, averaging 220 km a day alongside seven other cyclists, embarked this spring on a gruelling cross-country bicycle trek to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Honouring his brother’s legacy by raising funds for the Terry Fox Foundation in support of life-saving cancer research, Darrell and his companions travelled from the west coast to the east, saying, “We didn’t want any questions about us replicating the Marathon of Hope or finishing Terry’s run because you can’t replicate what Terry did in 1980.”
A new feature-length documentary, “Run Terry Run”, set for release later this year, which Toronto filmmaker Sean Menard says has been pulled from more than 90 reels of mostly unseen footage, claims to capture “the evolution of a 21-year-old,” from that of a new runner to “a young man learning to manage the international spotlight while pushing his limits.”
The idea to retell Terry’s story was inspired by Menard’s own misunderstandings of that piece of Canadian history. “I thought he made it across the whole country,” Menard said. “I thought he was a seasoned marathon runner before he lost his leg.”
With assistance from the Terry Fox Foundation, Menard tracked down hours of archival film in a storage facility a few blocks from his home. The 16 mm film was restored, bringing into clearer focus some of the physical aspects and challenges Terry experienced during his marathon. Announced during the 45th anniversary year of Terry’s Marathon of Hope, the film is part of a year-long celebration of special events, programs, and initiatives to honour Terry’s legacy and continue his dream. Menard states, “Being able to share that with the world is something I don’t take lightly. It’s an honour to have the trust and support from the Fox family to tell this story in a way that feels timeless and takes audiences right back to 1980.”
Youngsters often struggle to understand events that happened long before their birth, and although schools try to explain, the magnitude of what Terry Fox accomplished cannot be defined solely in words. Terry described himself as an average athlete with a mental toughness to strive for the goal of a world without cancer. People today can still learn from Terry and carry his dream to fruition.
