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"…I'm not saying that this will initiate
any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in
miracles. I have to." Terry Fox
One of the most famous vehicles in
Canadian history came back to Montreal last Friday.
The Terry Fox Van; the van that the young Terry Fox and entourage used
in his 1980 Marathon of Hope was in Montreal.
Why is the van so precious to Canadians? It is because a young
Canadian was stricken with cancer and to help raise funds for the
cancer association he started the Marathon of Hope. His mission was to
walk across Canada to raise money for cancer research. His doctors
advised against the harrowing walk, he knew he may not make it, but
his courage and his faith never faltered.
Terry Fox started in New Foundland
hopping along on one good leg. His left leg had been ravished by
cancer two years before and was amputated six inches above the knee,
forcing him to wear an artificial device.
"With that dogged spirit, Fox would
begin his dream --- one that would take him halfway across Canada and
touch hundreds of thousands of lives at home and abroad."
“Terry Fox
died, with his family beside him, on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22.
That September, the first Terry Fox Run was held in Canada and around
the world. More than 300,000 people participated, raising $3.5
million. Terry Fox Runs are held yearly in 60 countries now and more
than 360 million have been raised for cancer research. His legacy
lives on.”
The history
of the Van:
The van traveled
behind him along the route to make sure he was okay. It was the only
way his doctors would accept that he try such a stunt. The van was
lost for several years after his death when it was sold and had been
the possession of several different owners including a Canadian Rock
Band. His brother Daryl was finally able to track it down.
When the Ford
Motor Company heard that the Terry Fox Foundation purchased this now
badly damaged van, they paid to have it refurbished to its original
condition.
Terry Fox is a
Canadian hero and icon, rarely will you see a Canadian hear the name
Terry Fox without a tear in their eye, and now Montreal got to see the
historic van one more time.
Winterose@videotron.ca
Sources:
http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/fox-terry.html
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?feedname=CTV-MONTREAL&newsitemid=23181&showbyline=True |
