Caption
The energy of the human spirit.
"I was lucky to do what I did. How many people ever get to do something they really believe in" Terry Fox (July 28, 1958 - June 28, 1981)
In 1977 Terry Fox was diagnosed as having osteogenic sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. His right leg was amputated six inches above his knee.
Terry's dream was to run across Canada and raise awareness for cancer and one dollar from each Canadian for cancer research. His 'Marathon of Hope' reached that goal with $24.17 M donated.
Terry dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean off St. John's, Newfoundland, on April 12, 1980. He ran about 42 kilometres each day (26 miles) no matter the weather – freezing rain, high winds, even snow. In August Terry passed through Sudbury, the halfway mark on his journey west to the Pacific.
On September 1, chest pains and breathing problems forced him to stop running at a spot along the Trans-Canada Highway northeast of Thunder Bay Ontario. After 143 days and 5,373 kilometres, he announced he would have to postpone the rest of the run, saying "I'm gonna do my very best. I'll fight, I promise I won't give up."
His dream and his energy lives on. Every September communities, schools and businesses across Canada and around the world participate in Terry Fox runs to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. In the 25 years since Terry's run over $400,000,000 has been raised from 'marathons of hope' run in more than 60 countries.
htttp://www.OttawaPanoramas.com