About Terry Fox
Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada’s west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.
While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.
After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.
However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22.
The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.
To date, more than $400 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.
- What province was Terry Fox from?
- When was Terry diagnosed with bone cancer?
- Why did Terry decide to run across Canada?
- What was the name of the first Terry Fox Run?
- What date did he start his run?
- What province did he begin his run?
- What province did he end his run?
- How much money did Terry hope to raise?
- How many miles did he run?
- How many days did he run?
- What province was Terry running across on day 4?
- What were some of Terry’s favorite songs to listen to on his run?
- What is the average distance, in K.M. that Terry ran everyday?
- When was Terry in Charlottetown?
- What is the total amount of money raised for The Terry Fox Foundation?
- How much of every dollar goes to cancer research?
- What is the date of the next Terry Fox run on P.E.I.?
- List 4 locations where the Terry Fox run is being held on P.E.I. In 2007.
- Sign the Terry Fox Foundation guest book.