Terrance Stanley Fox
A man with hope
Leadership Involvement
Terrance Stanley Fox was born July 28, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was an active child when in high school while playing a lot of sports.Terry Fox had an unfortunate situation placed on him. He was 18 years old when he was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, which is a type of bone cancer and was forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres above the knee in 1977. He was so overwhelmed with the pain and suffering of cancer patients while he was in the hospital that he made decision to start a marathon to raise money for cancer research. This marathon was named "The Marathon Of Hope". After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980. He lead people on a run that would be from one coast of Canada to another. He slowly had gotten the attention of people and slowly started following his vision to fight cancer. The enthusiasm quickly grew as he kept running everyday closer to his goal. “I’m not doing the run to become rich or famous.” said Terry to reassure people that there are more important issues than his known ability. Terry was doing a small act for a bigger cause and because of that, he was considered a leader for many Canadians and people around the world.
Actions as an inspiration
Terry Fox did many things to make himself an inspiration. After he had his leg amputated, instead of thinking about himself and pain he just faced through...he saw the suffering of the people surrounding him in the hospital that were diagnosed with cancer and how hopeless they looked. From that point on, he decided to start a fundraiser that could stop the suffering for cancer patients. The marathon of hope made Terry a leader to people that needed a leader. He inspired people by running, something that he was good at when he was not an amputee and worked on after he was one. By running a certain distance everyday, more and more people became known of his vision and were intrigued by it. His journey motivated citizens to donate and help raise awareness for a positive cause. Terry knew that his vision to cure cancer was absurd however the words he said were “I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.” He was just a person at the end of the day with a family and that was why people connected to him. He genuinely was attempting to raise awareness to something that was affecting so many people's lives, not trying to be wealthy or famous. Terry Fox was an inspiration and still is to many Canadians and to people around the world.
People in Terrance Stanley Fox's life
Doug Alward
Terry's friend that rode in a van behind him during the marathon of hope.
Betty Fox
Terry Fox's mother that was the founder of the Terry Fox Foundation
Darrell Fox
The youngest brother of Terry. Joined his brother marathon in Saint John and New Brunswick. He had the longest involvement with Terry's legacy.
Leadership Traits
Courage is not the absence of fear - its inspiring others to move beyond it
When Terrance was diagnosed with bone cancer, he took a stand to overcome his illness and find hope for people that are suffering from cancer as well. He started a journey to discover hope thus calling the marathon, the marathon of hope. it was an event that inspired others to help those in need. By seeing Terry's courage and determination towards his marathon, it allowed others to not give up either. It was obvious that Terry was fearful of his cancer growing back however, he kept moving forward to achieve the bigger goal. Even after his unfortunate death, his courage still lived on with others and to this day, Canadians and people all around the world have been donating for cancer research. Terry said “It’s one thing to run across Canada, but now, people are really going to know what cancer is.” said Terry because he knew because of this marathon, people would be aware that he was serious about stopping the suffering for people living with cancer. He inspired and gave people the courage they needed to not be afraid of the disease named cancer and to make a difference as well.
Appearances matter - remember to smile
Whenever Terry would be running, he would never be unhappy of what he was accomplishing. He was an influence and an idol to people that wanted to make a difference in the world towards cancer. If he were not to smile and enjoy his journey across Canada, people would have not given him a lot of attention. Citizens praised him because he was taking a stand so others could as well. He would not have made the difference he did in our world today if he did not keep his head high and kept a smile on his face throughout his journey . By smiling and appearing to be well, he made other people smile and feel associated and comfortable with him and raising money. By a small gesture, Terry began a chain of kindness and generosity even after his passing.
Quitting is leading too
Terry Fox was running 42 kilometres a day and had ran though the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and Quebec. After 143 days and running 5373 kilometres overall, he was required to discontinue the marathon outside of Thunder Bay since the cancer appeared to have had spread to his lungs. His supporters and the entire country was traumatized and saddened from the news that an influence that important had fallen. Terry knowing he would not survive the cancer had one thing to say to people that believed in him and want to make a difference in the world, “Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me.” he unfortunately passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22. His death did not bring despair, it brought hope and optimism. A hero's legacy did not die, it began to resurface and affect people till this day. In May of 2014, over $650 million has been raised to support cancer research in Terry's name. Even though he was forced to quit, that still lead Canadians to keep on going. Terrance Stanley Fox had a dream and even after he passed away, his dream is still alive and going strong.
Works Cited
"Terry."The Terry Fox Foundation. The Terry Fox Foundation. 2015. Web. 04/23/15.
"Quotes from Terry." The Terry Fox Foundation. The Terry Fox Foundation. 2015. Web.
04/23/15.
"Quotes from Terry." The Terry Fox Foundation. The Terry Fox Foundation. 2015. Web.
04/23/15.