by Christine Hearn
photography by Lionel Trudel

Keeping alive the dream of the Marathon of Hope

Ever young, ever optimistic, gazing west - the new statue of Terry Fox stands on the grass in the middle of the Academic Quadrangle. Generations of graduating students will pass the statue as they make their way to convocation ceremonies and the start of their new lives.

"It looks like he is headed to convocation with each and every one of them," says Lorne Davies, retired athletics director, head of the university's Terry Fox Day committee, and director of the Terry Fox Day humanitarian scholarship committee. "Young people need heroes and what better way of honouring Terry than by putting up a statue so people can admire him and emulate his qualities."

When Terry was forced by a recurrence of cancer to stop his cross-Canada run at Thunder Bay on September 1, 1980, he had completed, on one leg, a total of 5,373 km over 143 days Ð the equivalent of a marathon every day. That in itself was an extraordinary achievement; also extraordinary was the legacy of hope that resulted from Terry's efforts. His dream of running across Canada was not to be realized, but his dream of raising money to find a cure for cancer continues.

In the 20 years since Terry's death in June 1981, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $270 million worldwide. Canadian researchers say we wouldn't have a vibrant cancer research industry without the Terry Fox Foundation, which this year donated $16 million to the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

Terry's legacy is no surprise to Davies. "He was a remarkable young man," recalls Davies. When Terry first came to Davies" attention he was in his first year at SFU and playing basketball on the junior varsity team. Then-head coach Stan Stuartson told Davies that one of his junior players was in Royal Columbian Hospital and was going to lose a leg to cancer.

"I didn't know him then, but I decided to go to the hospital to see if there was anything I or the university could do for him or his family. When I got there, five of his high school friends had come to cheer him up Ð they were all sitting around looking low and he was the one cheering them up. In 12 hours he's going to have his life changed forever and he's the one keeping everyone's spirits up Ð most remarkable!

"I asked what I could do and he said he'd like his profs to know he would not be at class for a while and could he get some of his books delivered so he could keep up with his courses. When I went back two days later he was propped up in bed studying - what a wonderful example to us all."

While in hospital, Terry read about a one-legged athlete who ran the New York City Marathon. "I can do that," Terry thought. When he got back to campus he had his goal ready Ð to run across Canada to raise money for a cure for cancer. "I thought it was an extremely difficult challenge," says Davies. "He had difficulty walking at first - he'd go out at night and try to walk - he had dizzy spells and blisters. Apart from everything else, it was a tremendous athletic achievement. His courage was indescribable."

As Terry wrote in letters to companies asking them to raise money, he was motivated by the courage of other cancer victims. "There were the faces with the brave smiles, and the ones who had given up smiling. There were the feelings of hopeful denial, and the feelings of despair...I could not leave, knowing these faces and feelings would still exist, even though I'd be set free of mine. Somewhere the hurting must stop...."

Terry's epic run started with very little publicity on April 12, 1980, when he dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's. "It wasn't until he got to New Brunswick that there was any real attention paid," remembers Davies. By the time Terry reached Thunder Bay, the indelible image of the lonely runner was a permanent part of the Canadian psyche.

Terry Fox had become an icon. A 1999 Internet poll named him Canada's hero of the 20th century; there has been a book and a TV movie; streets and schools have been named after him.

Terry's parents, Betty and Rolly Fox, and his brother Darrell Fox, national director of the Terry Fox Foundation, work tirelessly to keep Terry's dream alive. Annual Terry Fox runs are now held in more than 55 countries; last year 4,100 Canadian public schools hosted Terry Fox events. Each year Terry Fox runs are held in additional places and more money is raised. In recognition of her contribution, Betty Fox received an honorary degree from SFU in October.

In 1981, shortly before he died, SFU awarded Terry the first annual Terry Fox Gold Medal. Each year since then the award has gone to a student showing courage in the face of adversity, as exemplified by Terry Fox.

And now the university has initiated its first annual Terry Fox Day celebration, to be held in perpetuity on the third Wednesday of September. The day (this year held September 19) began with a Terry Fox run around campus starting at the track where Terry trained for more than a year before his Marathon of Hope, followed by the campus community barbecue, presentation of the Terry Fox Gold Medal, and the unveiling of the bronze statue of Terry.

"We want to recognize the fact that Terry Fox, Canada's number one hero and known worldwide as a true humanitarian, was an SFU student," says Davies. "Terry was very proud to be an SFU student; he had a great love for the university."

Sculptor Stephen Harman of Roberts Creek, son of the late sculptor Jack Harman, was asked by the university to create the statue. "My associates and I were asked to come up with the concept in May," says Harman. "We've just been going day and night since then. Normally this sort of thing takes up to a year to complete."

Harman and his associates developed a design that was approved by the Fox family and the university, moulds were made, and then 375 kg (1,000 lb.) of bronze were poured to create the 3 m (91/2ft.) statue. The Harman foundry crafted some of Vancouver's most familiar sculptures, including the statue of Roger Bannister running past John Landy on the Pacific National Exhibition grounds and the Harry Jerome statue in Stanley Park.

For Stephen Harman, creating the Terry Fox statue was special. "We wanted to capture Terry's sense of purpose and striving toward his goal - not just his run - but his ultimate goal, a cure for cancer," says Harman. "We wanted the statue to express the intensity and the dignity, as well as the fatigue factor, without too much of the agony."

The statue stands to remind us all that dreams can move us forward.

Find out more information on Terry Fox Day can be found at sfu.ca/terryfox. aq

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