Terry Fox lost a leg to cancer. In 1980 he attempted to run across Canada with one good leg and an artificial one. On the Ontario/Manitoba border, Terry was forced to stop. The cancer was back. Terry died on June 28, 1981 at the young age of 23 but raised millions of dollars for cancer research. Every year on a Sunday in September, thousands of people across Canada gather and run in Terry Fox’s memory and to continue to raise much needed dollars for the research that Terry wanted us to have.

The Solitary Man by Brenda M. Shaw ©

Alone in the rain – a lonely runner;
his pride doing 30 miles a day…
with step, hop, hop, flashing a grin
Terry ran with the will to win.

The going was tough, the struggle hard,
Terry kept running from day to day.
Determined and proud; not afraid to try.
When it was over, he tried not to cry.

While he was weak, he strengthened us all.
In our hearts he had given us hope.
Times aren’t easy and dying is hard;
Terry’s image will never be marred.

For Terry Fox, life is eternal;
In God’s kingdom he is running still.
With his step, hop, hop, flashing his grin,
Terry gives us the will to win.