When you move to a new country, you need to learn about that country’s heroes. In Canada, one of those larger-than-life icons is Terry Fox.

Nato a Manitoba e cresciuto in British Columbia, Fox was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in 1977, quando aveva solo 18 anni. His leg was amputated six inches above his knee, and after undergoing intensive cancer treatment, he was fitted for an artificial leg.

Fox subsequently decided to raise money for cancer research. In 1980, despite his artificial leg, ha iniziato la sua Maratona della Speranza. Starting in April from St John’s, Terranova, aveva intenzione di run across Canada from coast to coast.

Fox ran the equivalent of a marathon a day — 26 miglia (o 42 km) — from his Atlantic coast starting point. Entro settembre, dopo 143 giorni e più di 3,300 miglia (5,300 km), stava bene in Ontario, just outside the city of Thunder Bay.

Purtroppo, that’s where his marathon ended. The cancer had spread to his lung, e dovette tornare a BC per il trattamento.

Nel febbraio di 1981, Fox had achieved his fund-raising goal — di aumentare $1 from every Canadian to fight cancer. The Canadian population at that time was 24.1 milioni di euro, e la sua Maratona della Speranza aveva sollevato $24.1 milioni di euro.

Although Fox died of cancer in June 1981, his fund-raising legacy lives on, attraverso il Terry Fox Foundation e l'annuale Terry Fox Run, che si svolge in più di 900 locations tutto il Canada. This year’s Terry Fox Run will be held this Saturday, Settembre 13, 2009.

Even kids can get in on the fund-raising act through the Terry Fox Run Giornata Nazionale Scuola, che si svolge Venerdì, Settembre 25, 2009 nelle scuole a livello nazionale.

Foto @ Carolyn B. Heller