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Terry Fox Foundation

Terrance Stanley Fox was Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist.

In March 1977, at the age of 18, he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer); as a result he had to have his right leg amputated.

Faced with a fifty percent rate of survival Terry learned that two years earlier his rate of survival would have been only 15%; he was impressed with the improvement in survival rates and the value of cancer research.

With the help of an artificial leg, Terry was walking a mere three weeks after his amputation. His doctors were in awe attributing his positive outlook to his rapid recovery. For the next couple of years, Terry did not let his diagnosis limit himself and continued to push himself as an athlete. In September 1979 he decided to run from the East Coast to the West Coast of Canada to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research; thus began the Marathon of Hope on April 12th 1980.

Terry sought to raise $1 from each Canadian, all 24 million of them. 143 days and 5373 kilometers later, he was forced to stop the run due to the deterioration of his health. At that point 1.7 million dollars was raised however Terry’s story, determination and spirit continued to touch Canadians and the donations continued to pour in bringing the total to 23 million dollars. After a grueling battle, Terry succumbed to his illness on June 28th 1981.

Terry’s legacy lives on through his Marathon of Hope all around the world, raising money for millions for cancer research, keeping his dream for a cure alive.

Terry Fox Run Mumbai

The first Terry Fox run in Mumbai took place in the year 1999 with a group of 300 students participating from one institution at the Priyadarshini Park in Mumbai. Today, the run is a city-wide event with nearly 75 schools participating. 100% of the proceeds and pledges from children participating in the run are sent directly to the Tata Memorial Hospital. These proceeds have been used to fund a variety of research into childhood cancer. The projects have ranged from research into new radiotherapy techniques that minimize negative health effects to specialized genetic research into various childhood cancers.

In the early years of the run, about 2 out of 10 children would be able to go back home fully treated. Today, almost 8 out of 10 children are able to go home and live out their dreams. The Convenor of the Terry Fox Run in India, Mr. Gul Kripalani, envisions a day when 10 out of 10 children will go home fully treated and lead normal lives.

When the Run started, 300 children participated and an amount of Rs. 7 lakhs was donated to Tata Memorial Hospital. In 2020, there were approximately 15000 children participating in the Run and an amount of over Rs. 4 crores was donated through the efforts of the children and Committee members. Funds from the Run were used for cancer research and other funds were used for patient care, as desired by the donors.