THUNDER BAY – It has been 35 years since Terry Fox began his quest to run across Canada to persevere in the battle against cancer.
Even though the cancer returned and halted his Marathon of Hope, his legacy still remains stronger than ever.
Sunday marked the 35th anniversary since Fox began the odyssey in St. John’s, N.L., aiming to raise at least $24 million for cancer research.
Alison Lavoie remembers how Fox and his journey captured the hearts and minds of Canadians in 1980 and how that kind of event was a first of its kind.
“I remember when he first started on the Atlantic coast and it grew and the momentum built with him as he came across and through Ontario,” she said.
“I think now we take it for granted. Any cause that comes up somebody is going to do some kind of cross-country or cross-world thing but he was an innovator. That was something he felt really strongly about and this is the way to do it. He paved the way for everybody else.”
To this day, Fox still resonates with so many Thunder Bay residents because his run came to a heartbreaking end such a short distance before the city.
Until the end, when he died in 1981, there was hope the run would pick up where he left off after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres.
“The fact that he ended his marathon here we were waiting to see what the results were because there was this hope he was going to come back and be able to continue,” Lavoie said.
The Terry Fox Lookout on Highway 11/17 east of the city overlooking Lake Superior remains a beacon for tourists from coast to coast.
Justin Larose, who is visiting Thunder Bay for the first time, made a stop at the lookout with family members.
Even though he was not alive during the Marathon of Hope there is still a sense of obligation to pay his respects.
“He was very inspirational on many different levels,” Larose said. “He had good determination in the purest form.”
Dek Subedi brought a number of family and friends to the lookout.
Fox, who lost a leg to cancer, put a spotlight on the illness and rallied people across the country together for the cause.
“Whatever spirit he had, and whatever he started, it really united Canadians and all Canadians are now united to fight against cancer,” he said.
