Fred Fox, older brother of Terry Fox, is gearing up for the annual Terry Fox Run Sunday (this year, the Fox family is running in P.E.I.). It has been 30 years since Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. Since then, the foundation has raised half a billion dollars for cancer research. Runs are held in 40 countries around the world.
What is your memory of the Marathon of Hope?
Every night we’d sit down and watch the newscasts and keep track of what he was doing. The odd time Terry would send a postcard. It was difficult to get a sense of the impact he was having as he was making his way across the country. It wasn’t until I saw him in Toronto when he ran up University Avenue toward city hall and thousands of people lined the streets and 10,000 people came to Nathan Phillips Square to listen to Terry speak. Then it came, the realization of the impact that he was having. It really hit me hard.
What is Terry’s legacy?
He’d be proud to know that his legacy would be contributing to all the advances that cancer research has made. So many people have survived their battle with cancer because of what he started in 1980. He would be so proud that that is his legacy. I get a chance to speak to so many young people throughout the year, sharing who Terry was. So many young people look up to Terry as someone they can model themselves after because of his integrity, honesty and selflessness.
Steve Nash’s Terry Fox documentary screened Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, how did the film come to be?
Steve Nash was asked to do a documentary and his first choice was Terry. He was in Vancouver and the Chilliwack area a year ago and did much of his interviews and taping then. We’ve seen a rough cut a couple of weeks ago. It screened at TIFF and by all accounts was very well-received.
What did you think of it?
Steve’s perspective and the way he, and his cousin Ezra Holland, did it was great. The interviews were outstanding and a very compelling way to tell Terry’s story. We’re very happy with it and are looking forward to it being shown on TSN2 on Sunday and the Vancouver International Film Festival in October.
