Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was an active
teenager involved in many sports. At the age of 18, he was diagnosed with
osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15
centimetres above the knee.
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. From this, Marathon of Hope was borne.
Terry trained for 18 excruciating
months and ran over 5,000 kilometres to prepare for the Marathon of Hope, and
once he felt prepared to tackle the huge goal he had set for himself, he
started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980. Although he
received very little media publicity at the beginning, he soon began to gain
the adoration of Canadians and donations started to pour in on his daily
journey 42 kilometres through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and
Ontario.
Sadly, on September 1st, after 143 days
and 5,373 kilometres, Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay,
Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. The entire nation was
stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22.
The heroic young man may have been
gone, but his legacy and spirit would live on in the minds and hears of not
only Canadians, but people throughout the world.
To date, more than $400 million has
been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual
Terry Fox Run. Terry’s journey may have been short, but it is a journey that
Canadians have never forgotten.
This year, Pierre Laporte celebrates
Terry Fox’s journey and memory by staging our annual Terry Fox Run, to be held
on Friday September 25. In a ceremony that kicked off the run, students viewed
a short film about the history of the Marathon of Hope, and learned just how
devastating cancer is, but at the same time, learned that because of the money
raised over the years, the odds of beating cancer are significantly better
then they used to be. All students will participate in the run this Friday,
and we are asking that they try to raise a minimum of $10 each. Our goal as a
school is to raise $2000. It in not necessary for you/your child to raise $10,
EVERY PENNY COUNTS.
Together, we can help make cancer a
thing of the past, and turn Terry’s dream into a reality.
By a show of hands, students show that
their families have been affected by cancer.
On Friday September 25th, the staff and
students at Pierre Laporte participated in the annual Terry Fox Run.
The route is approximately 2 kilometres
long, and runs along Wilson Ave., around Roding Park, through the school
parking lot and around the school. There was plenty of supervison throught the
route to ensure the safety of all participants.
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