Terry Fox
With one leg and relentless courage, he ran a marathon a day across Canada, creating a global movement for cancer research that outlives him.
1958–1981 (age 23)·Canadian athlete·Birthday: July 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Terry Fox was not a champion athlete in the traditional sense, but his 1980 Marathon of Hope forged a legend of human spirit. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 18, which resulted in the amputation of his right leg, he transformed personal tragedy into a public mission. From the Atlantic coast in Newfoundland, he set out to run across Canada on a prosthetic leg, aiming to raise one dollar for cancer research from every Canadian. His gait was an awkward hop-step, but his progress was steady—26 miles, roughly a marathon, every single day. For 143 days, through wind, rain, and physical agony, he captivated a nation with his determination. The cancer eventually spread to his lungs, forcing him to stop outside Thunder Bay after 3,339 miles. His run ended, but the movement exploded. The first Terry Fox Run was held after his death in 1981; it has since become a worldwide phenomenon, raising over a billion dollars. Fox’s legacy is not a record time, but an enduring testament to how a single, stubborn act of hope can mobilize millions.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Terry was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Terry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Terry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Died at 23
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
Key Achievements
- Ran 3,339 miles (5,373 km) over 143 days during his Marathon of Hope across Canada in 1980 on a prosthetic leg.
- Inspired the creation of the annual Terry Fox Run, now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research.
- Was the youngest person ever to be made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
- Has had hundreds of schools, roads, and public facilities across Canada named in his honor.
Did You Know?
He was a passionate basketball player in high school and won his school's athlete of the year award in grade 12, after his amputation.
His original fundraising goal was $1 million, but by the time he was forced to stop, he had raised $1.7 million.
He wore out 9 pairs of running shoes during the Marathon of Hope.
The Terry Fox Run is now held in over 60 countries worldwide.
““I just wish people would realize that anything's possible if you try; dreams are made if people try.””
