An extensive look at Terry Fox‘s inspirational Marathon of Hope will be on display at the Telus World of Science (TWOS) starting on Friday.
The “Terry Fox – Running to the Heart of Canada” exhibit showcases the Canadian icon’s incredible 143-day journey from St. John’s, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont.
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The exhibit will feature very intimate artifacts, including Fox’s prosthetic leg, the shirt and shoes he wore during the marathon and even the van that following him along the highway.
“When he had to stop his run, he wanted the baton to be passed on to everyone else and that’s what’s happening,” Fox’s brother Darrell Fox said from TWOS on Thursday.
“We are passing it on to the next generation.”
Fox began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980. He ran nearly a marathon a day on his epic mission to cross Canada while raising money for cancer research.
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His journey quickly drew the attention of Canadians from coast to coast. While he was forced to end his marathon in Thunder Bay when his cancer returned, his legacy has lived on for nearly four decades.
“During the Marathon of Hope and the months that followed, Canadians filled our home in Port Coquitlam, B.C., with scrapbooks, written tributes and gifts reflecting a collective compassion and admiration for Terry’s unselfish act,” Darrell Fox said.
“More than 35 years later, it was time to share the Terry Fox collection and the compelling story that the memorabilia evoke with the world.”
Fox raised $24 million before he died in June 1981. To date, more than $700 million has been raised in Fox’s name in support of cancer research.
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The exhibit at TWOS will offer a chance for those who followed Fox’s journey to reminisce, as well as a new chance for younger generations to be inspired.
“Any individual has the power to transform. I think that’s a key message, especially for children and youth today,” said Mark O’Neill, president and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History.
“That an ordinary Canadian can do something extraordinary to change the world.”
Terry Fox – Running to the Heart of Canada is a travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History, in partnership with the Terry Fox Centre. It will be on display at TWOS until Sept. 16.