At the age of 18, Terry Fox was diagnosed with bone cancer and had his right leg amputated above the knee.

 

Both aware of and inspired by the suffering of fellow cancer patients, he embarked on what he called the Marathon of Hope. He ran close to 42 kilometres a day through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, after 143 days and an extraordinary 5,373 kilometres, Terry was forced to stop running because cancer had spread to his lungs. He passed away ten months later at the age 22. An entire nation was stunned and saddened.

 

Terry Fox said, “It took cancer to realize that being self-centered is not the way to live. The answer is to try and help others.”

 

Little did he realise what his legacy would be: more than $750 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry’s name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.

 

To give you some sense of scale for this Sunday - more than 9,000 Terry Fox Runs (non-competitive and wholeheartedly inclusive events) take place across the world each year.

 

On Sunday and with Terry Fox’s words and actions in mind, we will gather as a community for our own Shawnigan Terry Fox Run around the campus. This is an opportunity for us to raise awareness of cancer, raise funds for innovative cancer research and come together as a community to celebrate life.

 

Earlier this week the prefects and Education Management Team created a shortlist of words for the Shawnigan T-shirt:

 

Persevere;

(En)courage;

Respect;

 

All three strike at the very heart of the Terry Fox story and those he represented on his Marathon of Hope.

 

At the end of the Grade 12 gathering on Thursday, the students voted for their favourite word – and, as you know, ‘Persevere’ was chosen –

 

And will soon be writ large in blue lettering on a red T-shirt with this definition on the back:

 

‘The courage and hope that allow us to forge ahead in the face of obstacles along life's journey’.

 

The Terry Fox story tells us of his perseverance, ‘courage’ and ‘hope’ – and serves as a reminder of the courage and hope within all of us as we face life’s obstacles and improbabilities.

 

15^th September, 2018

Richard D A Lamont

Headmaster