30 years later

Three decades after his death, people still see Terry Fox as a true Canadian hero.

Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Terry Fox. In 1977, doctor’s discovered a malignant tumour in Fox’s right leg that resulted in doctors having to remove the leg above the knee.

Terry went on to start his Marathon of Hope in 1980. He intended to travel from St John's, NL, and make his way across Canada to the coast of the Pacific Ocean.

Fox didn’t complete his trek and was forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay. He later died at Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster, B.C., in 1981.

Thirty years later, people today still remember the man who wanted to find a cure for cancer, and ran halfway across the country to raise awareness.

Chris Phillips and his wife, Karen stopped along their way back to British Columbia to pay tribute and visit the Terry Fox Lookout monument near the Thunder Bay Expressway Tuesday afternoon.

Phillips didn’t immediately realize it was the 30th anniversary of Fox’s death, but after learning of the significance of June 28, he said the visit brought a tear to his eye.

"We didn’t realize until we got here that it was the anniversary of Terry Fox’s death," Phillips said. "I read the inscription on the monument and it brought it all back. It’s very sad."

Karen said the year Fox died had special significance for them because it was the same year that her son was born. She said she believes his efforts are directly related to the scientific progress in science that has led to improved patient treatments.

"He’s certainly a hero," she said.

Tracy Gustafson and her husband, Shawn, and their six-year-old-son, Brandon, went to the monument as part of their first family road trip together.

Gustafson said she wanted to bring her son to the monument to learn more about Fox.

Gustafson knows all too well about what kind of impact cancer has on a family. Doctors diagnosed Gustafson’s mother with breast cancer for the second time about 15 years ago.
"My mother survived twice," Gustafson said with tears starting to form in her eyes. "It really hits home."

Meanwhile, Graham Brereton, 26, came from England to bike across Canada.

He started his journey in Halifax in April and has since made his way to Thunder Bay.

He heard about Terry Fox from his friends and books and he wanted to see the monument for himself.

"I found out he had to stop in Thunder Bay, so I figured I had to come and see the Terry Fox memorial," Brereton said.

"I did my master’s thesis on cancer research and it seems that there are massive differences between certain cancers, so saying there’s going to be a cure for cancer doesn’t make sense to me. Definitely, there’s been some massive advances in treatments."