A Personal Look at Terry Fox

My name is Terry Fox, I am 21 years old…

And so begins one of the letters this hero wrote to garner support for his cause: to raise funds and awareness in order to conquer cancer.

At the Terry Fox – Running to the Heart of Canada exhibit at the Canada Museum of History you can take an intimate look at Terry, his life, and his legacy. The exhibition is open from April 2, 2015 to January 24, 2016 at the Canada Museum of History in Gatineau, QC (5 minutes to Ottawa for those who do not know the area). The set up is done in a way to introduce you to new sides of Terry’s life you may not know leading to a personal look at Terry Fox.

I am hoping to post a few times on the topic of Terry and his legacy so if you have a story or memory of Terry or the Marathon of Hope, send me an email: .

Terry Fox is a well-known Canadian (and world-wide) hero. We all know the story. Young man, an athlete, in the good years until he is struck with a bout of bone cancer requiring the amputation of one of his legs. With his sportsman spirit he commits to running across Canada to raise funds and awareness of cancer only to fall short of his goal when the cancer returns.

We all know the story.

But do you know the man?

When I read the words “My name is Terry Fox, I am 21 years old…” something struck a chord with me. This hero was a young man, not 3 years younger than I am now, yet he had experiences beyond my comprehension. Terry Fox was a young man, a person, a son, and a friend. To me, after going through the new Terry Fox exhibit at the Canada Museum of History, the personal side of Terry Fox came to light for me…and I have never wanted to honour Terry more than I do after I saw these things.

Terry Fox had a dream. A goal. A plan. As we all do at some point or another. His vision was to take this jug of Atlantic Ocean seawater from the East to the West Coast of Canada. This jug would have served as a reminder, a motivator, and a pressure for him to keep running even on the days when it just doesn’t seem possible to run any longer. What is more down to Earth than that? Just like anyone else, Terry Fox needed motivation to become the hero we know today.

The jug still serves as a motivator for the Fox family too. The family wants to complete Terry’s quest and pour the water into the Pacific Ocean but now is not the time. Darrell Fox, Terry’s younger brother, said “when we finally find the answers to cancer is when we’ll place it in the Pacific Ocean. That was Terry’s goal and we’re prepared to finish it. Complete the Marathon of Hope.”

Terry Fox had a family. A mother who ensured he got to all the doctor’s appointments but still kept up on his homework (thanks mom). A friend who stayed with him on the road so the silent stretches of road weren’t deafening (even if bickering happened too). Our family and friends, our supporters of all types, we need them to help us through the rough times and to celebrate the good. Without them we get lost, not something we can afford when running cross-country.

Terry Fox had journals. One for training before the run. One for during the run. Terry’s family has kept Terry’s journal from during the run mostly secret, and I applaud them for that. Journals are a space where we can talk about the best and the unfortunate worst of times. While I did not read from Terry’s journal (only a single page is open in the exhibit) I can understand why his family holds it dear. These are the inner-most thoughts and expressions of their son, someone whose life became very public. These are images he saw, miles he ran, people he met, a troubles he faced while becoming the hero we know today. If this was my journal, my diary of an event of this magnitude, I hope to heck my parents would keep it to themselves too. So kudos to you Fox family.

So as you go about your day, and all the rest of the days of your life, I hope you remember that even the biggest heroes are human. Even the biggest heroes had bad days. Even the biggest heroes needed help. That being said, heroes like Terry Fox also have qualities like vision, courage, and determination and with that I leave you these collections of quotes and words from the Terry Fox exhibit at the Canada Museum of History.

Disclaimer: I was given free admission and a guided tour of the Terry Fox exhibit by the Canada Museum of History. The interpretation of the exhibit and all opinions are my own.