Sister carries on Terry Fox's legacy of hope
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After 27 years, the Terry Fox Run is still picking up speed. Judith Fox-Alder, Terry Fox's sister, said she marvels at how much the annual run has been able to do for cancer research, and how much it continues to do.
"We have 29 countries that are doing Terry Fox runs now," said Fox-Alder, who was in Victoria for a fundraising event in advance of today's run. "It's quite amazing that Terry 28 years ago did his Marathon of Hope and captured a nation, and now he has captured the hearts of people all over the world.
"In Mumbai, India, we had 60 schools that did the run there. Kuala Lumpur is having a run coming up on Nov. 2; they're expecting up to 10,000 people."
Fox-Alder has been told that her brother is "a household name" in Mumbai.
Members of the Canadian military service are also big Terry Fox Run supporters, she said, and a run is planned for Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Oct. 15.
A highlight of Fox-Alder's Victoria stop was getting a close-up look at the Ford Econoline van that accompanied her brother on his attempt to run across Canada in 1980. He had lost most of his right leg to cancer three years earlier, and was intent on raising money for cancer research.
The Marathon of Hope was called off near Thunder Bay, Ont., when Fox's cancer recurred. He died in 1981.