On Saturday, in honour of the 45th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope, Terry Fox‘s brother, Fred Fox, returned to St. John’s to retrace the first steps of Terry’s legendary journey across Canada.
According to CBC News, Fred began at the Mile Zero site–Terry’s starting point, now marked by a monument of Terry himself–and ran to city hall. There, he was welcomed by a crowd of supporters, cancer patients and researchers. Mayor Danny Breen presented him with the Chain of Office, just as Terry had received in 1980.
“People are surviving [a] cancer diagnosis because of what Terry started here 45 years ago,” Fox said. “Finding a cure for cancer is getting closer every day.”
Fred, now 68, continues to volunteer in supporter relations for the Terry Fox Foundation. The brothers, born 14 months apart in Winnipeg, grew up in Port Coquitlam, B.C. Fred was 22 when Terry, then 21, set out on his cross-country run.
Terry’s journey
The Marathon of Hope was born out of Terry’s own cancer journey. He was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma at just 18, and had his right leg amputated 15 cm above the knee. He was inspired by fellow cancer patients during treatment and decided to run across Canada to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.
On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his leg in the harbour in St. John’s, and filled up a jug with water from the Atlantic, with plans to pour it into the Pacific when he arrived across the country. He ran 20km that first day; over the next 143 days, Terry ran nearly 42 km a day, covering 5,373 km.
His run was cut short in September, just outside Thunder Bay, Ont., when he became short of breath–the cancer had spread to his lungs. In June 1981, Terry passed away at 22.
On Feb. 1, 1981, the Marathon of Hope fund had raised C$24.17 million; Terry had achieved his goal of collecting one dollar for every Canadian.
Since its founding in 1988, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised approximately C$900 million for cancer research. You can donate or learn more here.
