Terry Fox: The Relentless Runner Who Turned His Cancer Battle Into a Movement

Terry Fox: The Relentless Runner Who Turned His Cancer Battle Into a Movement

Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist whose remarkable determination turned personal tragedy into a national movement.
In 1980, after losing his right leg to cancer, Fox set out on an ambitious cross-country run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.

Though his journey was cut short, his legacy continues through the annual Terry Fox Run, an event that began in 1981 and now involves millions of participants across more than 60 countries.
It has become the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research, raising over C$850 million in his name as of September 2022.

From an early age, Fox displayed an unwavering commitment to sports. As a student, he was both a distance runner and a basketball player for his high school, which now bears his name, and later for Simon Fraser University.

His athletic ambitions were interrupted in 1976 when a car accident injured his right knee. At first, he dismissed the pain, choosing to focus on finishing the basketball season.
However, by March 1977, the discomfort had worsened, prompting a visit to the hospital. There, he received a life-altering diagnosis—osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that typically begins near the knee.

While Fox believed the injury had made his knee more vulnerable, his doctors found no evidence linking the accident to the disease.

Terry Fox running across Canada to raise money for cancer research, 1980.

The diagnosis meant that his right leg would need to be amputated above the knee, followed by months of chemotherapy.
At the time, his chances of survival were 50 percent, a significant improvement from just two years earlier when the survival rate was only 15 percent.
This advancement in medical treatment left a deep impression on Fox, strengthening his belief in the importance of cancer research.
With an artificial leg, he began walking again only three weeks after the amputation. His positive attitude and determination astonished his doctors, who credited his mindset with accelerating his recovery.By 1979, Fox had not only learned to walk but had also trained himself to run using his prosthetic leg.

That year, he successfully completed a full marathon, a feat that inspired him to take on a much larger challenge: running across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
He named his mission the Marathon of Hope, a symbolic journey meant to inspire others while funding the search for a cure.
On April 12, 1980, he dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and began his trek westward.
At first, Fox’s run attracted little media attention and raised only modest funds. Each day, he covered up to 30 miles (48 km), a distance comparable to a marathon, with a distinctive step-hop motion caused by his prosthetic limb. As he continued, his perseverance began to capture public interest.

Communities rallied behind him, and donations increased as word of his extraordinary effort spread. By the time he reached eastern Ontario, he had become a national symbol of courage and determination.

On September 1, 1980, after 143 days and 3,339 miles (5,374 km), Fox was forced to stop outside Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Severe chest pain led to the discovery that the cancer had returned, this time spreading to his lungs. Unable to continue, he ended his run, having already raised C$1.7 million.

In the months that followed, support for his cause grew even stronger. By early 1981, the Marathon of Hope had surpassed Fox’s goal of raising C$24 million, one dollar for every Canadian citizen.

As his health deteriorated, the nation remained hopeful for his recovery. Pope John Paul II sent a telegram offering prayers, while medical teams turned to experimental treatments in a final effort to combat the disease.

Fox endured the treatments with his usual determination, but his condition continued to worsen. On June 19, 1981, he was admitted to the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster with chest congestion and later developed pneumonia.
Nine days later, at the age of 22, he passed away. In an unprecedented gesture, the Government of Canada ordered flags lowered to half-mast across the country, a tribute typically reserved for high-ranking officials and statesmen.
Terry Fox’s story united Canadians from every region and background, fostering a sense of national pride and collective purpose.

In a 1999 national survey, he was named Canada’s greatest hero, and in 2004, he was voted the second-greatest Canadian in a national broadcast.
His image as an ordinary person undertaking an extraordinary mission continues to resonate with people around the world.
Fox’s determination also changed public perceptions of disability. He rejected the notion that he was limited by his amputation, once telling a Toronto radio station that his life had become more “rewarding and challenging” since losing his leg.

Paralympian Rick Hansen commented that the run challenged society to focus on ability rather than disability, writing, “What was perceived as a limitation became a great opportunity. People with disabilities started looking at things differently. They came away with huge pride”.