The 2010 Terry Fox run took place a couple weeks back. This run is not competitive—no winners, no awards, just people coming together to raise cash for cancer research.
I recently read a book called “Terry”. It was written by a Vancouver novelist and visual artist named Douglas Coupland. The more I learn about Terry the more I wish I could have been around while his Marathon of Hope was in motion. Here is an excerpt from Coupland’s book on one of Terry’s public speeches:
“Terry was now mobbed by fans of all ages, and on stage, his presence was electric. Listeners were spellbound by the honesty and realism of his words, spoken in a deep voice—along with his pauses and errors. In 1980 Canada’s economy and political future were both on rocky courses. Never before had Canadians been so cynical and jaded about society. And suddenly, there was this young guy in front of a microphone who was everything you wanted the world to be.”
I recently read a book called “Terry”. It was written by a Vancouver novelist and visual artist named Douglas Coupland. The more I learn about Terry the more I wish I could have been around while his Marathon of Hope was in motion. Here is an excerpt from Coupland’s book on one of Terry’s public speeches:
“Terry was now mobbed by fans of all ages, and on stage, his presence was electric. Listeners were spellbound by the honesty and realism of his words, spoken in a deep voice—along with his pauses and errors. In 1980 Canada’s economy and political future were both on rocky courses. Never before had Canadians been so cynical and jaded about society. And suddenly, there was this young guy in front of a microphone who was everything you wanted the world to be.”
In other words; the squares were freaking!
Now consider this…
On September 1st, 1980 Terry Fox was forced to end his Marathon of Hope due to severe pains in his upper chest. X-rays revealed that he had a lump in his right lung the size of a golf ball and a growth in his left lung the size of a lemon. These lumps were not lung cancer. Rather, they were actually patches of bone cancer than had spread into his lungs through the bloodstream. The lemon lump was too close to Terry’s heart to make an attempt at removal. Below is a photo of a lemon at actual size. Bring your chest toward the computer screen and just think about that for a moment.
NOTE: If Terry’s saga were to begin today, science would have an answer for his diagnosis. This is thanks, in part, to the millions of dollars raised by The Terry Fox Foundation.
During his final photo shoot, a pale Terry looked to the photographer and said, “Even though I die of cancer my spirit didn’t die and that should influence a lot of people.”
On September 30th, at both 11am and 1pm, CTV will air a documentary on Terry Fox titled, “Into the Wind”. The film is co-directed by another Canadian legend, Steve Nash. Set your PVR’s.
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