Perennial
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2020
- 3,492
- 1,523
As someone who grew up in Canada during the '80's, I was aware of Terry Fox...
Curly-haired Canadian with one leg who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research
But it wasn't until a couple of years ago when I read his Wikipedia page that I came to fully appreciate not only the magnitude of what he had attempted, and the amount of sheer determination required to see it through, but also the impact he had not just in Canada, but around the world...
Fox's Marathon Of Hope was decades before social media, so there was very little fanfare or publicity when he dipped his prosthetic foot into the Atlantic ocean near St. John's, Newfoundland and then set out on his journey across Canada with the goal of running the equivalent of a marathon (26 miles) each day until he reached the Pacific ocean...
But slowly his story became national news, and eventually the streets of the towns and cities he passed through were flooded with supporters cheering him on...
This determined, stubborn, truculent 22 year old with one leg inspired an entire nation in a way that the world had never seen before...
Along the way he was met by Bobby Orr who gave him a cheque for $25,000. Fox considered this the highlight of his journey
His initial goal was to raise 1 million dollars for cancer research, but as his story garnered more attention that goal became 24 million ($1 per Canadian)
Today The Terry Fox Run - which takes place in countries all over the world - is the world's largest one-day event fundraiser for cancer research, and as of January 2018 over 750 million has been raised in his name
What a legacy!
I teared up while writing this post, just as I do whenever I read his Wikipedia page... I can't help it... when I think about what he was able to achieve in the short time he was here, and the positive impact he had on our world that is still being felt 40+ years after his death, I just become overwhelmed with emotion. He's arguably the most inspirational person in history...
I'm embarrassed it took me so long to appreciate what that young man did, and so I just wanted to share his story with others who may not yet appreciate it either...
Please take the time to read his Wikipedia page if you haven't already done so, it really is an incredible story worth knowing...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox_Run
Curly-haired Canadian with one leg who ran across Canada to raise money for cancer research
But it wasn't until a couple of years ago when I read his Wikipedia page that I came to fully appreciate not only the magnitude of what he had attempted, and the amount of sheer determination required to see it through, but also the impact he had not just in Canada, but around the world...
Fox's Marathon Of Hope was decades before social media, so there was very little fanfare or publicity when he dipped his prosthetic foot into the Atlantic ocean near St. John's, Newfoundland and then set out on his journey across Canada with the goal of running the equivalent of a marathon (26 miles) each day until he reached the Pacific ocean...
But slowly his story became national news, and eventually the streets of the towns and cities he passed through were flooded with supporters cheering him on...
This determined, stubborn, truculent 22 year old with one leg inspired an entire nation in a way that the world had never seen before...
Along the way he was met by Bobby Orr who gave him a cheque for $25,000. Fox considered this the highlight of his journey
His initial goal was to raise 1 million dollars for cancer research, but as his story garnered more attention that goal became 24 million ($1 per Canadian)
Today The Terry Fox Run - which takes place in countries all over the world - is the world's largest one-day event fundraiser for cancer research, and as of January 2018 over 750 million has been raised in his name
What a legacy!
I teared up while writing this post, just as I do whenever I read his Wikipedia page... I can't help it... when I think about what he was able to achieve in the short time he was here, and the positive impact he had on our world that is still being felt 40+ years after his death, I just become overwhelmed with emotion. He's arguably the most inspirational person in history...
I'm embarrassed it took me so long to appreciate what that young man did, and so I just wanted to share his story with others who may not yet appreciate it either...
Please take the time to read his Wikipedia page if you haven't already done so, it really is an incredible story worth knowing...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox_Run
Last edited: