1Twenty80 had the amazing opportunity to have a sit-down with Darrell Fox, brother of the legendary Terry Fox on a heart-touching story about hope and the importance of funding for cancer research.
This once-in-a-lifetime Meet & Greet was hosted by Cancer Research Malaysia and the High Commission of Canada in conjunction with the Terry Fox Run 2022 scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 18, 2022, in Taman Metropolitan Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. In attendance at the Meet & Greet, were also the Deputy Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Research Malaysia, Professor Dr Cheong Sok Ching and Ryan Baerg from the Canadian High Commission.
In 1980, at the age of 17, Darrell joined Terry on his Marathon of Hope in Saint John, New Brunswick. As Terry’s younger brother, Darrell has had a long history of involvement with the legacy founded by his brother.
Terry Fox lost his leg to osteogenic sarcoma at age 18, underwent 16 months of treatment, and found he could not ignore the suffering he witnessed in the cancer wards. Terry decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research in a Marathon of Hope.
Now in the year 2022, the Terry Fox Run has been carried out all across the world raising over Canadian Dollars (CAD) 850,000,000 for cancer research. When asked how the Terry Fox Foundation and Marathon have evolved over time, Darrell had an interesting answer.
“My mum, Betty Fox, and Mr. Isadore Sharp (the President of Four Seasons Hotel) decided to create the Terry Fox Foundation in 1988. That first year, we doubled revenue. That started the evolution and growth of the foundation,” he explained.
“We grew a lot throughout the 90s and early 2000s. A lot of it had to do with the school programmes. Initially, we had about 2000 schools participating. It then grew to have the participation of 8,000 schools. So, that’s where the growth came from,” Darrel expanded.
He then went on to explain that the run continues to grow and in tandem, the funds for cancer research also continue to grow.
“We now raise close to CAD 30,000,000 a year. This is made possible because we’re a little bit more sophisticated and knowledgeable because of our experience and how we share Terry’s story as well,” he added.
Darrell hopes to continue spreading Terry’s inspirational story to nations everywhere and raise funds for cancer research.
In Malaysia, the Terry Fox Run has raised more than RM 2,000,000 for cancer research and attracted over 7,000 participants.
To know more about the Terry Fox Run 2022 and Cancer Research Malaysia, you can check out https://www.cancerresearch.my/…/terry-fox-run-kuala…/
About Terry Fox
Terry Fox was an athlete and advocate for cancer research in Canada. He was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma just above the knee, which eventually led to the amputation of his leg in the late 70s, at the age of 18.
Whilst receiving treatment, Terry realised that there needed to be more research on cancer. He aimed to raise funds and awareness to help with cancer research. Terry started training and planning for his cross-Canada run to raise funds. In April 1980, Terry dips his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean and begins one of the most significant moments in history. He runs an average of 42 kilometres a day (26 miles) through six provinces. After approximately 143 days, Terry was ultimately compelled to call it quits due to the progression of his cancer.
Terry was determined to achieve a huge goal of his which was to raise CAD 1 from every Canadian to fight cancer. This goal was ultimately reached before Terry passed away on the 28th of June, 1981.
