A new Heritage Minute has been created to mark the 35th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
The latest historical video from the federal government and Historica Canada tells the story of how Fox inspired a nation by attempting to run from coast to coast with a prosthetic leg.
The new ad features a vintage van painted to look like the one that trailed Fox on his journey, which started on Apr. 12, 1980 near St. John’s, Newfoundland, and was cut short 143 days later in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
It starts off with a voice saying: “I’m not special. Cancer happens to people all the time…”
That line has a deeply personal meaning for actor Jay Hummonem. He was diagnosed at age 16 with osteogenic sarcoma -- the same cancer that killed Fox on June 28, 1981 at the age of 22.
Like Fox, the cancer took Hummonem’s leg and forced him to wear a prosthetic.
Unlike Fox, Hummonem is surviving, in part thanks to research made possible through Fox’s fundraising.
“I wouldn’t be here without him and what he did for everybody,” Hummonem said.
Fred Fox, Terry’s brother, recently gathered with other family to view the new commercial. He said the family was impressed.
“(Terry) would want to kind of shy away from the title of ‘Canadian hero,’ or ‘somebody famous,’ because that’s not what it was all about for Terry,” said Fred Fox.
Fox said his brother would be proud to know how children are emulating his values: “hard work, never giving up and that one person can make a difference.”
Since the first Terry Fox Run in 1981, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $700 million for cancer research. The 35th annual Terry Fox Run takes place in communities across Canada on Sunday, Sept. 20.
With a report from CTV’s Scott Laurie
