Running for Terry Fox
In preparation for the school's annual Terry Fox Run tomorrow, Mr Jeff Szeryk spoke at Assembly on Thursday about meeting Terry in 1980.
44 years ago Terry Fox woke up at 4 a.m. on July 21, 1980, after a night at the Valhalla Inn in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, my hometown.
He prepared to embark on yet another 42 km marathon that day from Kitchener-Waterloo to Guelph.
My dad, not one to miss a Thanksgiving Day Parade, or a Christmas Parade, dragged my brother and me out of bed to cheer on Terry Fox, by then a national celebrity on his way through Ontario.
I was only 8 years old as Terry made his way to Guelph that day, and I am not sure that I remembered much but, as kids, we were all swept up in the inspiration of this young man. He continues to inspire you and me today.
You see, he had already covered 3,600 kilometres of his planned 8,000 km cross-Canada trek and had raised $750,000 of his original $1 million goal for cancer research.
On that day 44 years ago, I was one of thousands of spectators who lined King and Queen Streets in downtown Kitchener to cheer on Terry Fox, then just 21, who had already gained a following that would make him the most talked-about Canadian in 1980. I am sure that he left a lasting impression on thousands of people that day. Thousands of kids like me reached into their piggybanks to make a small donation. He continues to leave a lasting mark on people like you.
Over the years, I have participated in many Terry Fox Runs through my childhood, mostly through the many schools I attended, but I didn’t really understand that he was an international, as well as national, hero.
Fast forward to my international teaching career. In 2008, having lived overseas for a few years, I was residing in Damascus, Syria. Normally the streets of Damascus are not too crowded even at the Saturday markets, but one particular weekend a teacher mentioned in passing that we should participate in the event: “Let’s all go out to the Terry Fox Run.” At that time I thought little of it. I imagined that it might be a small school event in a country where, at the time, Americans, Brits, and Canadians were not very well liked - during the Iraq War.
To my surprise, not far from our residences where the run started were 20 to 30 thousand Syrians supporting Terry Fox. I couldn’t even get a shirt. I was truly awestruck by the event. As I would soon learn, Terry Fox is an international inspiration.
At my next posting, my wife and I thought maybe we could do something in the country that we were living in. We could, at least, organize a small Terry Fox Run at my school in Bratislava, Slovakia, but, try as we might, we were never able to pull it off. This is when I learned about Terry’s ideals. It takes a lot of effort behind the scenes to organize with the Terry Fox Foundation, and a lot of boxes have to be checked because you had to live by Terry’s vision.
Terry had a single goal - to fund innovative cancer research. All the money that is raised goes directly to cancer research. There are no corporate sponsors. The Terry Fox Foundation operates independently. Low overhead means more funds are directed to research.
As a result, there are over 9,000 Terry Fox Runs each year, many international, all volunteer-led and organized. They are non-competitive and inclusive: all are welcome.
As Terry said, “Anything is possible, if you try.”
My wife and I continued to try and we were able to set up an Annual Terry Fox Run at our school in Bulgaria. At the Anglo-American School of Sofia our first year, although we had to delay it to November, we were able to organize and set up a school-wide Terry Fox Run. That first year we raised over 3,000 Euro for cancer research. Over the next four years we were able to raise over 20,000 Euro. When I look back, it wasn’t about the money, (although it is about the money) it was about the fact that we had “raised” students who learned about the perseverance, dedication and hard work of Terry Fox. If you have time watch the documentary Into the Wind. I hope that you will also get to know Terry and share his story. His story is truly international.
I would like to leave you with a little story, in fact, a couple of tidbits. It was on a bus trip home in my 3rd year in Sofia, Bulgaria. We were passing the Serbian Border on our way to a basketball tournament in Belgrade. We had all gotten our passports out and everyone was showing everyone’s passport and passing them around. When the Canadians got their passports out, showing them off, some others noticed pg 31. Every single person, with a range of international backgrounds, could recognize the picture of Terry Fox. In that moment, I knew that we had helped make a difference.
Terry said “One thing that hurts me is that I keep hearing ‘Terry Fox’. I am not doing the run to become rich and famous. To me being famous is not the idea of the run. The only important part is that cancer can be beaten.”
Judith Fox, Terry’s sister, helps run the Foundation. Here is what she said in 2014: “Over thirty-four years ago Terry embarked on his courageous Marathon of Hope in order to raise much-needed funds for cancer research and to prove to each one of us that courage and determination can triumph over the most serious of physical handicaps. The nobility of that deed and the integrity of his words during his fateful and courageous journey across Canada has left an indelible mark in the psyche of a nation and around the world that has not diminished one iota with the passing of time.
You are carrying the torch he passed on to all of us collectively when he could no longer continue on his selfless quest – you are the keeper of his promise and the guardian of his legacy. We are so very proud of the incredible effort and positive energy you expend in ensuring that hope lives on in the hearts and minds of cancer patients and their families. Their gratitude for your compassionate action is shared by everyone here at The Terry Fox Foundation.” Judith Fox
So I challenge all of you this week. All Terry ever wanted was for everyone in Canada to give one dollar. Now, with inflation, let's round that to $5. I’m sure that you can all reach into your pocket to spare that one-half trip to McDonald’s, a couple of Tim Horton's donuts or that one McNeill’s smoothie to ensure that, one day, cancer will be beaten.
Mr Jeff Szeryk