Definition of a hero: a person admired for great or noble deeds
Terry Fox is one of the greatest Canadian heroes for he put his own life up to save and help people who were suffering from cancer. Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox was born on July 28th, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Fox had been a very enthusiastic and determined athlete as a child. He enjoyed playing soccer, baseball, rugby and many others. Basketball was his favourite among them, and he was very passionate for it. However, standing only 5 feet tall, he was a poor player at the time and was the last substitute for the team. Fox dedicated his whole summer, improving his skills and became a regular player in grade nine. He even earned a starting position in grade ten and the Athlete of the Year award in grade twelve. In college, he studied kinesiology (the study of the mechanics and anatomy of human muscles) to become a physical education teacher. This shows how determined he was and how he would do anything to achieve what he wants.
On November of 1976, while Fox was driving home, he crashed into a truck and survived the crash with only a sore right knee. The pain continued to trouble him, but he kept ignoring it for it was basketball season. By March, the pain had intensified, and Fox finally visited hospital. He was announced to have osteosarcoma, which is a form of cancer that usually start near the knees. The doctor told him his right leg was to be amputated, and that this meant he had 50 percent chance of survival. Fox found out only 2 years ago, his chance of surviving would have been only 15 percents. This impressed Fox and after his treatment, he decided to spend the rest of his life help other patients suffering from cancer.
When Fox read an article about Dick Traum, the first amputee to complete the New York Marathon, he was greatly inspired. He took a training program that took 14 months and decided to run across Canada to increase cancer awareness for he was disappointed at how little money was dedicated in cancer research. When he revealed his plan to his family, his mother let him down by not supporting him with the plan. However, knowing how stubborn his son was, his parents agreed with him eventually.
The journey began as he dipped his amputated let in the Atlantic Ocean near St John's, Newfoundland. Fox arrived in Montreal on June 22. He was at 1/3 of the way of his 8,000 kilometre marathon and collected over 200 thousand dollars. Fox continued with his mission even in the intense heat of summer, running 42 kilometres a day. Soon, people started to recognise him as the awareness for cancer and the donations increased. However, on September 1st, he was forced to stop running shortly due to the pain in his chest and coughing that wouldn't stop. He was driven to a near hospital and announced that his cancer had returned and spread to his lungs during a press conference. Fox ended his run after 143 days and 5373 kilometres.
Fox received numerous cancer treatments, but it didn't stop cancer from continuing to spread. As his cancer intensified, more Canadians supported Fox and hoped for a miracle. He had chest congestion and developed pneumonia when he was back to Royal Columbian Hospital. On June 28, 1981 exactly a month before his 23rd birthday, he fell into a coma and died. His funeral was attended by more than 200 guests and hundreds of memorial service for him was held all over Canada.
Fox's dream, which didn't seem possible at all, came true, and he still remains as a hero in many Canadians' hearts.
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