Terry Fox’s brother visits Toronto to promote annual run
Posted September 13, 2011 2:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Fred Fox, Terry Fox’s older brother, was in Toronto on Tuesday to promote the upcoming annual run that has raised more than half a billion for cancer research.
“About $550 million has been raised since 1980. That’s including the monies raised through the Marathon of Hope,” Fred Fox told CityNews. “We know that that money has made huge progress and so many people have benefited and that’s what Terry wanted.”
Terry Fox was 18 when he lost his leg to cancer in 1977. Three years later, he began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980. For the next 143 days, Fox ran a marathon a day — 42 kilometres — from St. John’s to just outside Thunder Bay, Ont.
On Sept. 1, 1980, Fox learned his cancer had returned. He died on June 28, 1981.
The Terry Fox Run is held every year in his honour and this year it will take place on Sept. 18. More than 230 cities, towns and communities across Ontario will participate – and they’ll be joined by thousands of runners across Canada and the world.
Since 1988, the foundation has raised more than $550 million for cancer research. Money raised from the run has gone towards cure-oriented research, like the recent creation of a man-made virus that can track cancer cell; training new scientists; and providing tools to help patients.
“He wanted as much money that’s donated to go to research, so we’re very, very proud to be able to say 85 cents of [every] dollar go towards what Terry wanted,” Fred Fox said.
Betty Fox, Terry’s mother who was instrumental in her son’s legacy, died earlier this year at the age of 73 of an undisclosed illness.
CityNews reporter Cynthia Mulligan, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, will be taking part in the Run for the Cure on Oct. 2. She chronicled her treatments on her blog and wrote her final post on the subject after ditching her wig this April.
