Leslie Scrivener was born in Tokyo and raised in Australia,
the United States, and Canada. She holds a Master of
Journalism degree from the University of Western Ontario and
is currently Faith and Ethics reporter with the
Toronto Star.
Terry Fox was eighteen years old when he was told that he had cancer and that his leg would have to be amputated. He accepted the verdict with courage and grace. "Nobody is ever going to call me a quitter," he said.
On April 12, 1980, starting in St. John's, Newfoundland, Terry embarked upon the cross-country run he called the Marathon of Hope. He wanted to raise a million dollars for cancer research. It was an extraordinary undertaking for an unknown young man with an artificial leg. His prosthesis, by modern standards, was rudimentary: every time it struck the ground, it hurt him. The weather was often harsh and some drivers tried to run him off the road. But he persevered. Every day for 143 days he ran the near-equivalent of a marathon (26 miles). When he got to Ontario, all of Canada was watching and cheering him on.
The cancer returned and ended his run on September 1, 1980. But he raised not only just $1 million, but $24 million before he died. And in the years since then, tens of millions more have been raised, in Canada and around the world, in Terry's name, to combat the disease that took his life.
Leslie Scrivener was a reporter assigned to follow Terry's progress. In writing his story, she drew on his diaries and interviews with Terry, his friends and family. She has completely revised and updated the text to take into account the amazing growth of Terry's legacy. This is the authentic, inspiring account of the magnificent achievement of a Canadian hero.
Über den Autor
Leslie Scrivener was born in Tokyo and raised in Australia,
the United States, and Canada. She holds a Master of
Journalism degree from the University of Western Ontario and
is currently Faith and Ethics reporter with the Toronto Star.
Klappentext
Terry Fox, the one-legged runner from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, made an indelible impression upon people across Canada and around the world. An outstanding athlete with a stubborn and competitive spirit, he lost his leg to cancer at 19, but said "nobody is ever going to call me a quitter.”
On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox set out from St. John's, Newfoundland to begin the run across Canada that he named the Marathon of Hope. His ambition was to raise a million dollars for cancer research. It wasn't easy. Initial support from communities varied from terrific to nothing at all. His prosthetic leg was painful to run on, and there were always traffic and extreme weather conditions to deal with. But, by the time he reached Ontario - a journey of more than 3,000 kilometres - word of his achievement had spread, and thousands cheered him and followed his progress. Terry's spirits soared, and now he hoped to raise $22 million dollars - one dollar for every Canadian. He succeeded in this ambition, but the Marathon of Hope ended near Thunder Bay, Ontario on September 1, 1980. The cancer had spread to his lungs, and, after running 24 miles in one day, on the next he could run no further.
When cancer finally claimed his life in 1981, Canada mourned the loss of a hero, but the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope lives on. The Terry Fox Foundation raised more than $17 million in 1999, and support for the event nationally and around the world is growing.
