The Run That Meant Something

Hey, my friend,

Today’s story is about someone whose strength has lifted people for many years.

His name was Terry Fox, and he grew up in a small town called Port Coquitlam in British Columbia in Canada.

He was just a regular kid who liked sports and jokes, and spending time with friends. Life changed for him when he was eighteen and learned he had bone cancer.

Doctors had to remove his right leg, and for many people, that would have been the end of running. But Terry did not see it that way.

As he healed, he began to think about the kids he saw in the cancer ward.

Many were younger than he was, and some were even too tired to talk.

He thought about how he had felt scared when he heard the word cancer. He wished he could help those kids feel stronger.

This wish grew inside him until he came up with an idea that sounded almost too big to believe.

He wanted to run across all of Canada to raise money for cancer research. He called it the Marathon of Hope.

He started his run on April 12, 1980, in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

If you look at a map, that spot sits on the far east side of the country. Each day, he ran the same distance as a full marathon.

He did this on one real leg and one steel leg that often made him sore. He woke up early, and he kept going even when rain hit him or cars rushed by.

At first, only a few people saw him out on the road, but as he moved from one town to the next, folks started to hear about this young man who was running for kids with cancer.

And, little by little, the road began to fill with support, families came out to cheer for him, and kids held signs with his name on them.

People ran beside him for a short time just so he would not feel alone, and as time passed, donations began to rise.

By the time he had reached Thunder Bay, Ontario, he had run more than three thousand miles, and the whole country knew his name.

People said he gave them hope they did not even know they needed.

Terry had to stop running in Thunder Bay because doctors discovered that his cancer had spread to his lungs.

He wanted to keep going, but his body could not carry him any farther.

He passed away in June 1981 at the age of twenty-two.

Even though he is no longer here, his Marathon of Hope did not end.

The fund he began has raised over one billion dollars for cancer research.

Every year, people all over the world run in his honor because they still feel the strength he shared with them.

Terry was not perfect or blessed with many things, but he just wanted to help kids who were hurting, and he kept going even when it was hard.

This story reminds us that one simple, steady choice can touch so many hearts and bring people together to work towards a single cause.

It also tells us that most people want to do good, and sometimes they just need someone to give them a reason to start.

So if you can make such a choice that helps someone feel supported or seen, even in a small way, please don’t hesitate, my friend.

Doing so might change somebody’s life and yours, too.

Praying for your good health and for your life to be filled with happiness, peace, and prosperity.

That is it for today, and see you tomorrow, my friend.

Take care,
Prasad Mairale
Petals of Positivity 🌸