Statue of Historic Figure: Terry Fox - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Terry Fox

Victoria, BC, Canada

N 48° 24.558 W 123° 22.142

Short Description: 

A statue of athlete, cancer victim, and cancer research activist Terry Fox is located in the southwest corner of Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, British Columbia.

Long Description:

Terry Fox lost his right leg to cancer. Nonetheless, he undertook an effort, called the Marathon of Hope., to run the length of Canada from St. John's, Newfoundland to Victoria, British Columbia in order to raise awareness of cancer and funds for cancer research. He managed to cover 3,339 miles in 143 days before his cancer spread and soon thereafter cost him his life. Today he is a Canadian folk hero.

The statue depicts Terry Fox running on a prosthetic right leg. A bronze plaque on the polished black granite base is inscribed:

Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, 

British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada’s west coast. 

An active teenage involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he

was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his 

right leg amputated 15 centimeters (six inches) above the knee in 1977. 

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, 

many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money 

for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.

After 18 months’ and running over 5,000 kilometers (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry

started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. 

Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and 

the money collected along his route began to mount. Her ran 42 kilometers (26 miles) a day 

through Canada’s Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. 

It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5, 374 kilometer (3,339 miles), Terry was forced 

to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An 

entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22.

The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

The front of the base is inscribed:

“Somewhere the hurting must stop...”

TERRY FOX

1958 - 1981

The sides of the base have the inscriptions:

“Dreams are made possible if you try.”

and 

“I believe in miracles. I have to.”