A Canadian Hero - His Dream Lives On

On July 28, 1958, a young boy was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His name was Terry Fox and little did his parents know at that time that their son would leave his mark on the world.

Terry's parents moved to Port Coquitlam, British Columbia when Terry was still young. He attended Simon Fraser University and in 1976, was chosen to play junior varsity basketball. But after being on the team for only a year, Terry began to have excruitiating pain in his right knee. It turned out that Terry had osteogenic sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. His right leg was amputated to try to prevent the cancer from spreading.

While recuperating from the surgery, Terry read a magazine article about an amputee runner. He made up his mind that he would run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. After he fully recuperated Terry began to train for his run, which he called The Marathon of Hope. Two years after the amputation, Terry started to run at night when no one would see him. He was preparing himself to succeed in his goal.

On April 12, 1980, Terry dipped his articifical leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's Newfoundland and then set off on his Marathon of Hope. He ran an average of 26 miles a day across six provinces.

Everywhere Terry went he was greeted by hundreds of people who lined roads and streets, cheering him on. But when he reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, disaster struck. Terry collapsed. The dreaded cancer had spread to his lungs.

Terry's parents flew in to Thunder Bay and took their son home but the Marathon of Hope was far from over. Isadore Sharp sent Terry a telegram the following day, stating that he would organize a run to raise funds for cancer research. It would be called, The Terry Fox Run.

Terry Fox succumbed to cancer on June 28, 1981. On September 21, 1981, the first Terry Fox Run was held at 760 sites across Canada and around the world. In 2008, the Terry Fox Run will be held on September 14th. The Terry Fox School Run Day will be held on September 26th. Jordan always participates.

For more information on the Terry Fox Run, or to make a donation, visit the website of the Terry Fox Foundation. Every dollar goes toward cancer research.

Note: My prayers are with all of those in the path of Hurricane Ike. Be sure to get in all the supplies you need and stay safe.