Now, 39 years and over $750 million raised in his name for cancer research later, it’s safe to say the whole world couldn’t be happier that Terry Fox decided to give everything he had to help combat the disease that would eventually take his life.
The Moose Jaw edition of the annual Terry Fox Run took place on Sunday from Elk’s Field and was once again a great success, with dozens of runners and thousands of dollars raised for the Terry Fox Foundation.
“It’s a tribute to Terry Fox’s legacy that this event still carries on in his name, and it shows the impact he’s had on people my age and older when he began his Marathon of Hope,” said Moose Jaw Run organizer Craig Hemingway. “Certainly that had an impact, but the work of his family and foundation to keep that alive in so many ways has been incredible. Especially in the schools, you get that education and you see kids getting involved, like Vanier bringing a crew of runners out today. They weren’t alive when it all happened, but they’re learning about it and want to be a part of it. It shows the kind of impact his legacy has had.”
Fox covered 5,373 kilometres over 143 days covering a circuitous route through the Maritimes, Quebec and southern Ontario. It was in Montreal where his run started to attract major attention, and by the time Fox had hit Ontario he was already a national hero, with thousands of people lining roadways to watch him pass and gathering to hear him speak. By the time Fox had to end his run outside of Thunder Bay due to cancer developing in his lungs, he’d raised $1.7 million for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“He did it for all the right reasons, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why this has continued the way it has,’ Hemingway said. “His mission was to raise money to fight cancer, no more, no less. There was no social media and getting 15 minutes of fame was a lot harder back then, so people were touched by what he was doing and wanted to support that and will continue to support that, as we’ve seen.”
The lead-up to the local Run featured a series of fundraising barbecues at the Moose Jaw Co-Op as well as a fun Terry Fox Trivia Night at Bobby’s Place Olde World Tavern. The event itself began at Elk’s Field and featured two kilometre and five kilometre runs along Thatcher Drive to go along with a barbecue, bouncy castle, and games once the runners and walkers had returned.
The local event was one of thousands of similar Terry Fox Runs taking place all over the world, ranging from Italy to Indonesia and everywhere in between.
“It was a surprise to me when I saw the international support, and it speaks to the work of the Foundation,” Hemingway said. “People from other walks of life can look at it and say ‘that’s a cause we can get behind.’”
