Terry Fox’s older brother Fred Fox, travels across Canada to carry on Terry’s legacy and inspire others to dream big and never give up, just like Terry did. On Wednesday, he spoke to the students at Camborne Public School in Cobourg.
“My message to the kids is Terry was just an average kid, an ordinary kid who had to work hard, was very determined that he believed that anything was possible if you work at it,” said Fred.
”Always finish what you started” — That was Terry Fox’s motto. Fred said his brother wasn’t running across Canada for fame or to become a Canadian hero. He simply wanted to help those who were also diagnosed with cancer.
At just 18 years old, Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer and his right leg had to be amputated. Fox ended up running across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He would run 42 km every day for 143 days with an artificial leg, and called it the Marathon of Hope.
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“Terry passed away on June 28, 1981, about nine months after he was forced to stop in Thunder Bay and this appeared in a Toronto newspaper the next day, kind of symbolizing that Terry was passing on the hope baton on to each and every one of us to continue,” said Fred.
To date, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than $750 million for all types of cancer research.
“We give the students a Terry Fox little fact every day on the announcement, and as a school, collecting Toonies for Terry and we’ve set a fundraising goal for a $1,000 this year,” said Sonal Ness, principal of Camborne Public School.
READ MORE: $700M and counting: Terry Fox continues to inspire 38 years later
“He said, ‘Aways set goals,’ and stuff and I think that’s a good message,” said 10-year-old Emily Long,.
Fox likely never imagined the lasting impact his run would leave on Canadians and on cancer research.
The annual Terry Fox Run is held in September to commemorate when Fox was forced to stop his run on Sept. 1, as his cancer spread. Most area schools will be holding their event on Sept. 27.