Terry Fox

Life as he had known it ended for Terry Fox when he was twenty. But

in the face of tragedy, he created a dream that inspired a nation. And

his dream lives on.

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When a teenager gets cancer and then loses a leg at age twenty, you might forgive him
for giving up on any big dreams. But Canadian Terry Fox refused to give up. In fact, he
started dreaming bigger than ever.
Terry was determined to raise money for cancer research to help other young people. So
he decided to do something no one had ever done before - to run some five thousand
miles across Canada, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on one real and one artificial leg.
Terry prepared for eighteen months, running over 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers).
He set out quietly on April 12, 1980, dipping his artificial leg in the ocean waters off
Newfoundland. Starting that day, and every day that followed, he ran twenty-five miles.
Through rain and shine, despite pain and exhaustion, from early morning darkness to
long after sunset, he ran the equivalent of a marathon every day.
By halfway through his run, Terry had captured the hearts of his nation. Huge crowds
appeared by the sides of remote highways to cheer him on. He visited the notorious
Kingston Penitentiary and the hardened inmates wept at his courage and determination.
Sadly, Terry was not able to finish his heroic run. His cancer spread to his lungs, and he
was forced to quit on September 1, 1980, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, after running for
143 days and 3,339 miles (5,373 kilometers).