“I don’t feel that this is unfair. That’s the thing about cancer. I’m not the only one, it happens all the time to people. I’m not special. This just intensifies what I did. It gives it more meaning. It’ll inspire more people. I just wish people would realize that anything’s possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try.

"When I started this run, I said that if we all gave one dollar, we’d have $22 million for cancer research, and I don’t care man, there’s no reason that isn’t possible. No reason!”

“I’m not doing the run to become rich or famous.”

“Some people can’t figure out what I’m doing. It’s not a walk-hop, it’s not a trot, it’s running, or as close as I can get to running, and it’s harder than doing it on two legs. It makes me mad when people call this a walk. If I was walking it wouldn’t be anything.”

“When I ran through that tiny little Sparks Street Mall, the road was so narrow, yet people were running behind me and all these other people were lined up, clapping for me. It was quite a long way down the road where all the people were and I was just sprinting. I was floating through the air and I didn’t even feel a thing. I felt so great. That type of memory you can never take away.”

“If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope .”

“I’m running on one leg. It may not look like I’m running fast, but I’m going as hard as I can. It bothers me, people coming up beside me. I want to make those guys work. I can’t stand making it easy for them. I’m really competitive. When they run with me, they’re usually running for only two or three miles; for me it might be my twenty-sixth mile.”

“Maybe that’s why I’ve made it as far as I have – 2,521 miles. If I ran to a doctor every time I got a little cyst or abrasion I’d still be in Nova Scotia. Or else I’d never have started. I’ve seen people in so much pain. The little bit of pain I’m going through is nothing. They can’t shut it off, and I can’t shut down every time I feel a little sore.”

“It’s one thing to run across Canada, but now, people are really going to know what cancer is.”

“People were still lining the road saying, ‘Keep going, don’t give up, you can do it, you can make it, we’re all behind you.’ There was a camera crew waiting to film me. I don’t think they even realized that they had filmed my last mile… people were still saying, ‘You can make it all the way Terry’. I started to think about those comments in that mile too. Yeah, I thought, this might be my last one.”

“I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”

Terry’s Letter Requesting Support For His Run

The night before my amputation, my former basketball coach brought me a magazine with an article on an amputee who ran in the New York Marathon. It was then I decided to meet this new challenge head on and not only overcome my disability, but conquer it in such a way that I could never look back and say it disabled me.

But I soon realized that that would only be half my quest, for as I went through the 16 months of the physically and emotionally draining ordeal of chemotherapy, I was rudely awakened by the feelings that surrounded and coursed through the cancer clinic. There were faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who had given up smiling. There were feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair. My quest would not be a selfish one. I could not leave knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I would be set free from mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop... and I was determined to take myself to the limit for this cause.

From the beginning the going was extremely difficult, and I was facing chronic ailments foreign to runners with two legs in addition to the common physical strains felt by all dedicated athletes. But these problems are now behind me, as I have either out-persisted or learned to deal with them. I feel strong not only physically, but more important, emotionally. Soon I will be adding one full mile a week, and coupled with weight training I have been doing, by next April I will be ready to achieve something that for me was once only a distant dream reserved for the world of miracles – to run across Canada to raise money for the fight against cancer.

The running I can do, even if I have to crawl every last mile.

We need your help. The people in cancer clinics all over the world need people who believe in miracles.

I am not a dreamer, and I am not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer. But I believe in miracles. I have to.

Terry Fox, October 1979

In 1977, 18 year old Terry Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer and lost his leg to prevent the spread of the disease.

After fourteen months of training, Terry convinced the Canadian Cancer Society to help sponsor his Run across Canada to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. On April 12th of 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean and began his Marathon of Hope across Canada. Averaging 26 miles per day, Terry continued the Run for 143 days as the country watched.

On September 1st of 1980, Terry was just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, when tragedy struck - he felt sharp pains in his chest. The cancer which he thought he had conquered had spread to his lungs. He returned to Vancouver for more treatments but lost his battle with cancer on June 28, 1981, exactly one month short of his 23rd birthday.

As a result of making it two thirds of the way across Canada, Terry became an inspiration worldwide to millions of people. His Run raised $24.2 million for cancer research.

Terry has been honored in a number of ways - the Order of Canada, a postage stamp, the Terry Fox Memorial, schools, a mountain, an HBO movie - but his greatest legacy is the annual Terry Fox Run which is held in numerous cities across Canada and around the world to continue to raise funds to cure cancer.

In that spirit, the Government of Canada, under the aegis of Fitness and Amateur Sport, has created the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award Program in Terry's honor.

Facts About Terry

July 28, 1958 – Terrance Stanley Fox is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

March 9, 1977 – Terry discovers he has a malignant tumour in his right leg; the leg is amputated six inches above the knee. The night before his amputation he reads about an amputee runner and dreams of running.

February 1979 – Terry begins training for his Marathon of Hope, a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research and awareness. During his training he runs over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles).

October 15, 1979 – Terry writes to the Canadian Cancer Society to support his run: “I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”

April 12, 1980 – St John's, Newfoundland: Terry dips his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean and begins his odyssey. He runs an average of 42 kilometres a day (26 miles) through six provinces.

September 1, 1980 – After 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles) Terry stopped running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario; his primary cancer had spread to his lungs. Before returning to BC for treatment Terry said, “I’m gonna do my very best. I’ll fight. I promise I won’t give up.”

September 2, 1980 – Isadore Sharp, Chairman and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, telegrams the Fox family with a commitment to organize a fundraising run that would be held every year in Terry's name. He writes, “You started it. We will not rest until your dream to find a cure for cancer is realized.”

September 9, 1980 – The CTV network organizes a star-studded telethon, lasting five hours and raising $10 million.

September 18, 1980 – Terry Fox becomes the youngest Companion of the Order of Canada in a special ceremony in his hometown of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia.

October 21, 1980 – Terry Fox is awarded British Columbia's highest civilian award; The Order of the Dogwood.

November 22, 1980 – The American Cancer Society presents Terry with their highest award; The Sword of Hope.

December 18, 1980 – Canadian sports editors vote Terry Fox the Lou Marsh Award for outstanding athletic accomplishment.

December 23, 1980 – Editors of Canadian Press member newspapers and the radio and television stations serviced by Broadcast News name Terry Fox Canadian of the Year. Terry received this honour again in 1981 after his death in June.

February 1, 1981 – Terry's hope of raising $1 from every Canadian to fight cancer is realized. The national population reaches 24.1 million; the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope fund totals $24.17 million.

June 28, 1981 – After treatment with chemotherapy and interferon, Terry Fox dies at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, British Columbia – one month short of his twenty-third birthday.

July 17, 1981 – British Columbia names a 2,639-metre (8,658 foot) peak in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Terry Fox, as a lasting symbol of Terry's courage.

July 30, 1981 – A 83-kilometre (52 mile) section of the Trans-Canada Highway, between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, is renamed the Terry Fox Courage Highway in Terry’s honour.

July 30, 1981 – The Canadian government creates a $5 million endowment fund named The Terry Fox Humanitarian Award to provide scholarships each year in honour of Terry Fox. The award is presented to students who demonstrate the highest ideals and qualities of citizenship and humanitarian service.

August 29, 1981 – Terry Fox is posthumously inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

September 13, 1981 – The first Terry Fox Run is held at more than 760 sites in Canada and around the world. The event attracts 300,000 participants and raises $3.5 million.

April 13, 1982 – Canada Post issues a Terry Fox Stamp; prior to this, no other stamp had been issued until 10 years after the death of the honouree.

April 20, 1982 – The Marathon of Hope fund now totals $27.8 million and is allocated to cancer research projects in the Terry Fox New Initiative Programs of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

June 26, 1982 – A 2.7-metre (9 foot) bronze statue of Terry Fox is unveiled at Terry Fox Lookout, a site just off the Terry Fox Courage Highway, west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The site overlooks Lake Superior near where Terry ended his run on September 1, 1980.

During 1983 – The Canadian Coast Guard dedicates its second most powerful ship in Terry’s name. The ship is re-commissioned in 1994.

May 26, 1988 – The Terry Fox Run becomes a Trust, independent of the Canadian Cancer Society. The organization becomes known as The Terry Fox Foundation.

February 1989 – The YTV network awards the first Terry Fox Award which honours individuals or groups who, despite physical or emotional obstacles, have contributed in a meaningful way to their community.

December 1990 – The Sports Network (TSN) names Terry Fox Athlete of the Decade; the field included Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan.

February 11, 1994 – The Terry Fox Hall of Fame is created to provide permanent recognition to Canadians who have made extraordinary personal contributions to assist or enhance the lives of people with physical disabilities.

July 1, 1998 – The Terry Fox Monument is re-dedicated in Ottawa, Ontario and is now part of the Path of Heroes; a government initiative to raise public awareness and appreciation of great Canadians that have helped shape the country.

August 28, 1998 – The Terry Fox Foundation announced a new infusion of $36 million in funds for Canadian cancer research. The new program, called The Terry Fox New Frontiers Initiative, represents a departure from any existing research programs and will target increased innovation and risk.

June 30, 1999 – Terry Fox is voted Canada's Greatest Hero in a national survey.

January 17, 2000 – Terry is once again immortalized on a Canadian postage stamp. This time he is part of the prestigious Millennium Collection of influential and distinguished Canadians.