Terry Fox: A Brief Biography

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Early Years: (1)
- Born July 28, 1958
- Place of birth: Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Fox had three siblings; an older brother named Fred, a younger brother named Darrel and a sister named Judith
- His mother’s name was Betty and father’s name was Rolland
- Betty was a stay at home mother
- Rolland worked as a switchman for the Canadian National Railway
- Fox’s family was regular middle class, fun, and loving
- He was an obedient and kind person; tried to please everyone in his life
- Was noticeable at a very young age that Fox strived to do his best in whatever he did; was devoted to sports
- He played many different sports as a child, including basketball and hockey
- If he did not succeed at one, he strived to work harder and improve
- His favourite sport was basketball and began playing at a young age
- Although he was relatively short at five feet and lacking skill, he pushed himself to make the basketball team in the eighth grade
- After many hours of hard work and practice on the court, he was selected to start on his high school’s basketball team
- In addition to basketball, Fox participated in soccer and rugby, and won The Athlete of the Year Award in the twelfth grade
- Soon after, Fox was selected to the Simon Fraser University’s junior varsity basketball team as a result of his hard work and dedication

Diagnosis and Determination: (2)
- In 1977, at the age of 18, Fox was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) in his right leg
- He was forced to have his leg amputated 15 cm above the knee
- After receiving an artificial leg, he was able to walk after several weeks of therapy
- In the summer of 1977, Fox was a part of Rick Hansen’s wheelchair basketball team and won three national titles
- Afterwards, Fox a much lar...

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...on, and exceeded his goal by raising a total of $24.17 million
- He inspired many people including everyone who organized the first annual Terry Fox run in 1981
- Each year millions of people in Canada and around the world participate in the Foundation’s annual Terry Fox Run. To date, over $600 million for cancer research has been raised
- In 2007, the Terry Fox Research Institute was established
- To recognize the significance of Terry Fox’s life, many schools, buildings, roads, and parks around the country have been named in his honour
- In 2004, the CBC television program The Greatest Canadian ranked Terry Fox second, after only Tommy Douglas
- The story of his amazing journey has been published in many books and presented in many television movies including the award-winning The Terry Fox Story in 1983, Terry in 2005 and the documentary Into the Wind in 2010

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