The word inspiration is used on the boards daily...I want to share a very inspirational, heart warming and sad story, one that makes me cry to this day. An amazing couragious brave soul...Terry Fox. He ran by where I live, I remember it all like it was yesterday, that haunting sound of him hopping by, he was only a couple years younger then I was.
I can't imagine running across Canada with one leg let alone two, in hopes of raising money for cancer research, his goal stopped about nine hours away from where I am, cancer took him again, this time in his lungs.
A brave soul and what he accomplished....he's gave all of us HOPE.
Marathon For Hope
I hope these videos work for you all to get to know Terry for a brief moment, lots of you probably remember him, some of you are about to meet a world hero.
http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/...=1.3MB&dur=353 About Terry Fox
Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma bone cancer and forced to have his right leg amputated six inches above the knee in 1977.
While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.
Right before the operation, Terry read about an amputee who had completed the New York Marathon. He was moved by the man's courage and determination, and this story ended up being one of the main motivations behind Terry's ambitious Marathon Of Hope. In 1980, terry announced that he would make a cross-Canada run on his prosthetic leg in order to raise funds and awareness for cancer research in Canada. Of course, things weren't so easy at the beginning of his run, but as more and more people found out about Terry's efforts through the media, the money and support began to accumulate.
Terry never finished his run, stopping near Thunder Bay, Ontario after having run 5373 kilometers over 143 days worn out and in need of medical attention as his cancer reappeared in his lungs. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981, he was 22.
He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.
After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
The rest of Terry's story......http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/shark/180/id62.htm
In Canada, the annual Terry Fox Run is held every September, usually on the second Sunday following Labour Day. In countries outside Canada, the Run is organized at a time that is convenient for organizers.
The Marathon Of Hope will continue in memory of a beautiful unselfish soul..
May the angels dance around you (((Terry))) you've given the world HOPE.