Until January 3, 2016
“This run is not for me. It’s for people like you who someday may have to fight what I have had to.” – Terry Fox
In the summer of 1980, a young man with an artificial leg and a courageous heart galvanized the nation behind his dream: to find a cure for cancer. Relive Terry Fox’s heroic Marathon of Hope with a unique exhibition marking the 35th anniversary of his cross-Canada run. Artifacts, photographs, interviews, press clippings, and journal entries allow visitors to retrace Terry’s 143-day, 5,300 kilometre journey from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to Thunder Bay, Ontario. Explore the deep affection Canadians have for Terry and see how his legacy continues to inspire us.
Did you know?
- Terry Fox remains the youngest Canadian ever to receive the Companion of the Order of Canada.
- Across Canada, Terry Fox has had countless schools, public buildings, parks, roads and even a mountain named in his honour.
- In 1981, Terry Fox was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
- In 1982, Canada Post issues a Terry Fox Stamp; prior to this, no other stamp had been issued until 10 years after the death of the honouree.
- A 1999 national survey named Terry Fox as Canada’s greatest hero.
- In 2000, Terry Fox is again immortalized on a Canadian postage stamp. This time he is part of the prestigious Millennium Collection of influential and distinguished Canadians.
- A one dollar coin was issued in 2005 in honour of the 25th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope.
- In a 2010 national Canadian Studies survey, 9 out of 10 respondents said that they remembered Terry Fox. When asked what Terry Fox brought to mind, the answers were: courage, cancer, ran across Canada, hero, determination, and tenacity.
This exhibition is organized by the Canadian Museum of History, in partnership with the Terry Fox Centre.