Terry Fox Plaza
Terry Fox Plaza
Terrance Stanley “Terry” Fox
July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981
Terry Fox was a young athlete from the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam. In 1977, at the age of 18, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right knee. Within a week, his leg was removed 15 centimeters above that knee. During his ensuing chemotherapy treatment, Terry saw, and was deeply moved by, the effect cancer had on younger patients being treated alongside him.
In early 1978, Terry conceived of the Marathon of Hope. It was to be a cross-Canada run to raise money for cancer research. His goal was to run one marathon per day, travelling from Newfoundland to British Columbia, with the hope of raising one dollar for each of Canada’s 24 million people. This sort of awareness-raising event had never been done before, and this was a time when people with disabilities kept them hidden and when cancer was a subject not openly discussed.
The run began on April 12, 1980, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Terry indeed ran close to the equivalent of a full marathon – 42 kilometers, or 26 miles – every day, an astonishing physical achievement. Throughout the summer of 1980, his run captured the nation’s imagination, and by August he had become a national figure.
The run came to a sudden and startling end of September 1, 1980, just east of Thunder Bay, Ontario. One day Terry ran 37 kilometers, or 23 miles; the next, he couldn’t raise his hand to brush away a fly. Tests revealed that Terry’s cancer had spread to his lungs. By December, Terry had vanished from public view. He died on June 28, 1981.
Although his time in the public eye was short, Terry’s legacy in Canada cannot be overstated. He used Canada’s great distances as a poetic means of binding the country together. He crossed all social barriers and instantly put a vital, friendly face on both disability and cancer, forever removing the subjects from the shadows.
Terry’s legacy is the annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981. It has now grown to involve millions of participants in over 50 countries. As of the dedication of this sculpture, just over half a billion dollars has been raised in Terry’s name.
What If?
On a fundamental level, Terry’s life makes us ask, “What if?” Suppose he’d thought about running across Canada but simply changed his mind and decided not to do it? Terry was a shy boy from a sleepy Vancouver suburb; that might well have happened. And there’s no way of knowing whether his cancer would have recurred in that case – the Marathon of Hope may well have caused his relapse. So his life may have continued. He’d likely have found a good job, gotten married and had a family, His life would have had the dignity and importance that all of our lives share.
If he’d changed his mind and never run, he might have wondered “What if?” for the rest of his life – but then that’s what many of us do. The world would have continued spinning. Today’s weather would be just the same. Everything would be the same, and yet nothing would be the same. You and I wouldn’t be the same. The way we view life and death and courage and strength wouldn’t be the same.
If Terry had the same cancer in 2011 that he did in 1980, his chances of living would have been four times greater. But it was his life and decisions and actions that created that very possibility.
Sometimes we all feel like we’re just one more person here on earth. Why does anything matter? Why do any of us bother going on? But the fact is that we do go on, and all of us matter, and just maybe, if we follow Terry’s example of choosing the more difficult choice, our lives take on meaning greater than we might ever have dared hope.
Douglas Coupland
September 2011
Length of Terry’s run: 143 days and 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles), just under two-thirds of his planned route across the country.
Artist: Douglas Coupland
Plaza Design: Clive Grout Architects
Bronze: Harman Sculpture Foundry Ltd., Red Deer, Alberta
Computer modeling: Caleb Ashmore
Medical consultation: Cynthia Verchere
Animation consultation: Mauricio Pommella, Todd Demong
This four-piece sculpture was created so that people living one thousand years from now, no matter how different and strange their lives might be, can look at it and understand its message. The bronzes here show Terry’s distinctive running style broken down into a four-frame cycle.
These figures grow in stature as they move forward – as Terry’s legacy has done since 1980. They are running towards Stanley Park, where Terry had intended to end his Marathon of Hope in December of 1980. The largest figure, at the front, shows Terry giving what his family calls ‘the Terry Wave,’ a quick gesture of thanks he gave to supporters and well-wishers along the way while in mid-run.
Donate by Text Message (SMS)
Donations to the Terry Fox Foundation can be made by text message (SMS) from your mobile phone.
Step 1: Text the word “TERRYFOX” to 45678.
Step 2: You will receive a confirmation message and must reply with the word “YES” to confirm your donation to the Terry Fox Foundation. The donation amount will be added to your next wireless phone bill when you donate by text message (SMS).
Photo of the statues: http://imgur.com/DEDoEkw
More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox
Submitted by: Jennie Eggleston (www.instagram.com/jeggle)