Terry Fox exhibit unveiled at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary
CBC News | Posted: September 13, 2016 7:30 PM | Last Updated: September 14, 2016
150 students born decades after the Marathon of Hope attended the event to learn about Fox's legacy
A replica prosthetic leg, a pair of iconic running shoes and a signed Wayne Gretzky jersey that was given to the runner before he began his Marathon of Hope.
Those are some of the artifacts unveiled today with a new exhibit that celebrates the legacy of the Canadian hero and coincides with the 36th annual Terry Fox Run, which takes place Sunday, Sept. 18.
The memorabilia retells the story of a young man who, despite losing his right leg to bone cancer, ran 5,342 kilometres — the equivalent of a full marathon every day for 143 days — through pain and harsh weather to raise $23.5 million for cancer research.
Sukhmani Bains was one of the 150 grade three and four students from Colonel J. Fred Scott School to attend the opening event.
"It's cool how he just kept on going. I should try doing something like that," he said.
That inspiration is what matters now to Terry Fox's younger brother, Darrell Fox, who is also a board member of the Terry Fox Research Institute.
"I guess I think of Terry and what it would mean to him, and I know he would be so incredibly proud that next generation is not only learning his story but embracing it," he said.
'That's why he passed the baton on'
To date, more than $700 million has been raised in Terry Fox's name, and "tremendous progress has been made in the fight against cancer," said Darrell.
"When he was diagnosed in 1977, he was told he had a 20 to 30 per cent chance of living. If he were diagnosed today, he'd have over an 80 per cent chance of living, and he never would've lost his leg to cancer," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"I cannot change history. I cannot change how cancer has touched my life, but I know with every loonie and toonie we raise today, we are saving lives in the future.
"That's what was Terry's message to us in 1980. That's why he passed the baton on to all of us us to continue the fight against cancer," Darrell said.
The exhibit will be open to the public until Dec. 31 at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, located at WinSport's Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.