It may be hard to believe, but today marks 35 years since the death of one of the most celebrated Canadians in the world.
Terry Fox passed away from cancer on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22. He would have turned 58 years old on July 28 this year.
This morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid tribute to Terry Fox’s legacy in a Tweet.
Fox was born in Manitoba, but was raised in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
He was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, and forced to have his right leg amputated above the knee.
After seeing the suffering of cancer patients, Terry decided to organize his Marathon of Hope and run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres to prepare, Fox started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980.
Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, donations soon poured in.
He ran close to 42 kilometres a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
But on Sept.1, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs.
He passed away less than a year later.
He ended up raising a total of $24.17 million for cancer research.
The Terry Fox Foundation was set up after Terry’s death to continue his efforts to fight cancer. The foundation is responsible for supporting close to $20 million in discovery-based research each year in Canada.
As of 2014, over $650 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.
Earlier this year, Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope was named the top sports moment in B.C. history by the BC Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the B.C. government legislated a day in Terry Fox’s name. The second Sunday after Labour Day is now officially known as Terry Fox Day.
Every year, millions of people in close to 25 countries participate in The Terry Fox Run.
READ MORE: Thousands gather across B.C. for 35th anniversary Terry Fox Run
There are 14 schools and 15 roads in Canada named after Terry.
Do you have a memory of Terry Fox that you cherish the most? Share it in the comments below.
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