Who Is Terry Fox A Hero

Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy.

In March 1977, a pain had intensified and he finally went to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that often starts near the knees. He was told that his leg had to be amputated, he would require chemotherapy treatment, and that recent medical advances meant he had a 50 percent chance of survival. With the help

The Ottawa Citizen described the national response to his marathon as "one of the most powerful outpourings of emotion and generosity in Canada's history". Fox remains a prominent figure in Canadian legend. His determination united the nation; people from all walks of life lent their support to his run and his memory inspires pride in all regions of the country. A 1999 national survey named him as Canada's greatest hero, and he finished second to Tommy Douglas in the 2004 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation program The Greatest Canadian. Fox's heroic status has been attributed to his image as an ordinary person attempting a remarkable and inspirational achievement. Others have argued that Fox's greatness develops from his audacious vision, his determined pursuit of his goal, his ability to overcome challenges such as his lack of experience and the very loneliness of his venture. Typically amongst Canadian icons, Terry Fox is an original hero, admired but not without flaws. These advances in treatment might be partly attributable to the $650 million raised since Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope. Not wanting to be pitied, Terry Fox told a Toronto radio station that he found life more "rewarding and challenging" since he had lost his leg. Fox's actions increased the visibility of people with disabilities, and in addition influenced the attitudes of those with disabilities, by showing them disability portrayed in a

Some problems that Canada went through at that time were for example; the problems with domestic Canadian issues with English versus French identities. In 1980, the Parti Québécois launched a referendum on the question of self-government. Trudeau, although it was not a federal referendum, supported the "no" side, promising constitutional reform. This caused a lot of tension and conflict with the federal government and strained English-French relations. The "no" side won by a margin of 60% to 40% when the question was put to the voters on May 20. However, it demonstrated a divide between the French and English. Another strained relationship in Canada was between Alberta and mainly Eastern Canada. Many of the East thought that Alberta was a selfish, arrogant and rich province because Alberta wanted a lot of control of the oil and its revenue. It divided the Eastern part of Canada because they wanted an equal share of the distribution of both oil and revenue. Terry Fox became a unifying symbol where all Canadians could rally around and support him. He demonstrated that even though there were differences within regions of Canada, the country was able to connect with who he was, the sacrifices he made, the difficulties he had and the goal he wanted to reach to raise money for cancer research. Terry Fox was a young man from Western British Colombia; nonetheless, the rest of Canada embraced him. He