It was 41 years ago to the day on Monday that Terry Fox dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Spear in St. John鈥檚, Nfld., to start his Marathon of Hope in support of cancer research.
Fox, who lost part of his leg to osteosarcoma at age 18, wasn鈥檛 sure how long the cross-country trek would take, his older brother says.
But the young athlete from Port Coquitlam, B.C., knew he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other in order to reach the finish line.
鈥淭erry believed in taking things one step at a time, one day at a time,鈥� said Fred Fox, manager of supporter relations at the Terry Fox Foundation. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what we鈥檝e all had to do in these troubling times.鈥�
Terry Fox ran close to a marathon a day for 143 days before cancer in his lungs cut his journey short in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Sept. 1, 1980. He died in June the following year, a month shy of his 23rd birthday.
In the decades since his death, Canadians have carried on the activist鈥檚 quest through the annual Terry Fox Run to help raise more than $850 million for cancer research, according to the foundation that bears his name.
But Fred Fox said his brother鈥檚 legacy of resilience has taken on renewed resonance as the COVID-19 crisis rages on with no end in sight.
鈥淭his global pandemic isn鈥檛 a sprint, it鈥檚 a marathon. And that鈥檚 exactly what Terry did every day,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know how much longer we鈥檙e going to be dealing with this COVID-19 pandemic鈥� (But like Terry), we all have to be determined.鈥�
According to the Terry Fox Foundation, more than 650 communities across Canada come together each fall for fundraising runs in support of cancer research.
But last September, organizers had to pivot to a 鈥渧irtual run,鈥� encouraging people to find pandemic-safe ways to honour Fox鈥檚 mission.
Fred Fox said participants鈥� creative initiatives made the event a 鈥渉uge success,鈥� although the amount fundraised fell short of previous years.
As the COVID-19 crisis has caused disruptions to cancer care, he said it鈥檚 all the more important that Canadians continue to support efforts to fight the disease that touches so many lives.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e going through has been devastating for so many people,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut cancer doesn鈥檛 take any breaks. And research can鈥檛 either.鈥�
Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press
