Students cheers of “Terry Fox! Terry Fox!” roared out in the gymnasium of Little Current Public School on Friday afternoon, pumping up the volume before heading out on their annual Terry Fox Run.
The students were led in a pre-run assembly by Grade 8 students Azalea, Myla, Hailey, Kyla and Charlete, who organized the event. Each of the students took turns informing their compatriots about the legacy of Terry Fox and the important cancer research work that money from the annual Terry Fox Run helps support.
For those few who may not know who Terry Fox is—he is, hands down, Canada’s undisputed national hero. Born Terrance Stanley Fox on July 28, 1958 in Winnipeg, Terry Fox became an inspirational figure when, having come through a bout of cancer, he set out to run from coast to coast to raise funds for cancer research in a “Marathon of Hope.”
From a quiet and barely remarked beginning, dipping his artificial leg into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and with just a handful of donations, Terry Fox captured the hearts and minds of Canadians as he made his way across the continent with a trademark hopping gait that became etched in the minds of all who witnessed his courage and determination.
Sadly, Terry Fox’s journey came to an abrupt halt outside Thunder Bay when the cancer that had returned and spread to his lungs made continuing impossible.
When the young Simon Fraser University student died, our nation mourned his passing like few others in its history—but Terry Fox’s sacrifice came with a literal golden lining.
Before his death on June 28, 1981, the young man had achieved his once unimaginable goal of one dollar raised for every Canadian, and in doing so, Terry Fox set in motion the framework for what would become the annual Terry Fox Run—an event that would forever change the game when it comes to cancer research in Canada. Since heartbreaking end of his run in Thunder Bay due to the return of his cancer, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than $850 million to ensure that flame of hope and health for millions of Canadians would never die.
Thanks to the efforts of Little Current Public School students more than $1,850 has now been added to that total.
Terry Fox’s legacy lives on not only in the many advances in cancer research that have improved survivability and quality of life of those stricken with cancer, but in the hearts and minds of our nation’s youth, like those of the students of Little Current Public School and other schools across Manitoulin and the nation.
