A new display at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame was unveiled on Tuesday to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the man behind the Marathon of Hope.
Terry Fox was just 18 when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma and his right leg was amputated above the knee in 1977.
While he was recovering he was overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients and he inspired millions when he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research.
“As a young man, Terry Fox did not stop. I’m sure at times he thought this is so hard but he kept going and I remember as a little girl, not really understanding why he kept going, but as I got a little older I became so inspired that Terry Fox never gave up. I think every one of us, adults and kids, until our last days, we hope to one day inspire somebody but we don’t want to just inspire somebody for a moment, we want to inspire someone for a lifetime, that’s what a true champion is and that’s what Terry Fox did,” said Catriona Le May Doan, Honoured Member, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Fox left St. John’s Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 and ran close to 42 kilometres a day before he was forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay because cancer had showed up in his lungs.
He passed away at the age of 22 on June 28, 1981 but his legacy continued and over $650 million has been raised to date through annual Terry Fox runs around the world.
On Tuesday, friends, dignitaries and 150 students from Colonel Fred J Scott School gathered at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary to unveil a new exhibit in Fox's honour.
The display is called ‘Terry Fox: Running to the Heart of Canada’ and tells the story of his triumphs and struggles.
“Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame has been honoured to share Terry Fox’s Story for almost 36 years, upon his induction in 1981. We’re also very excited to launch this new exhibit and partnership with the Canadian Museum of History so that you here today as well as all Albertans have an opportunity to learn more about Terry’s story and what has happened since Terry’s Marathon of Hope has ended,” said Mario Siciliano, President and CEO, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
“No matter how old you are, everybody knows who Terry Fox is and I think that says something very, very important about him,” said Mark O'Neill, President and CEO, Canadian Museum of History.
A number of artifacts are included in the exhibit including; a signed Wayne Gretzky jersey given to Terry before he started The Marathon of Hope, a prosthetic leg similar to the one he used and a pair of shoes signed by Olympians and Honoured Members of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
His brother, Darrell, shared stories with the crowd and talked about what it was like to be by Terry’s side during the run.
“I saw Terry as a very average individual. He was an average athlete, he was an average student but the one thing that Terry had, and he had abundance, was his never give up attitude. He always tried his very best,” said Darrell. “Was I surprised when Terry told me he was going to run across the country on an artificial leg? Not for a second. I was a younger sibling who idolized his brother, who knew that whenever Terry said he was going to do something, he did it and he did it to the best of his ability.”
Darrell says Terry never competed against anyone and won no races but the fact that an amputee ran close to a marathon a day for 143 days in a row showed he was indeed an athlete of the highest caliber.
“Terry did not crave recognition for himself, in fact, he ran away from it, but he did appreciate being recognized as an athlete,” said Darrell. “Terry would be so proud and thankful that the Canada Sports Hall of Fame also recognized Terry’s athletic feat and it is on days like this that we long, that much more, to have Terry, mom and now our dad here with us to celebrate with you.”
The exhibit is open to the public until the end of the year and the 36th annual Terry Fox Run will take place in Calgary on Sunday, September 18.
For more information on the Terry Fox Foundation, Click HERE.
