Even Cylons Support a Good Cause

Today, all across Canada, and even in many places around the world, people ran to raise money for cancer research. They did so in the name of Terry Fox, someone many consider to be among the greatest Canadians who ever lived.

As a teenager, Terry lost a leg to cancer. He decided more needed to be done to fund research into the deadly disease and he started the “Marathon of Hope.” He set out in April 1980 to run across Canada, doing the equivalent of a marathon every day. Prosthetic limb technology was not as advanced then, and his distinctive hop was probably a sign not just of the tremendous effort it took, but of the significant discomfort each step must have caused him. Terry never finished his run. His cancer returned, and he was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay in September of the same year. Sadly, the next year cancer took his life. He was just 22 years old.

But that is when the running really started. His journey inspired millions of people, not just in this country but around the world. The annual Terry Fox run attracts thousands of people to join in the effort to raise money for cancer research. To date, more than 400 million dollars has been raised in his name.