November 2025
On 24 July 1980, Terry Fox came to Brampton, Ontario, during his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope. Now, 45-years later, Mayor Patrick Brown, members of council, Fox family representative Jessie Alder and artist Christiano De Araujo gathered in Chinguacousy Park to unveil a monument Terry Fox, not far from Terry Fox Stadium.
The monument features a life-size statue of Terry Fox, wearing the same attire and shoes he wore during his run through Brampton. Standing atop a base featuring artwork that depicts the landscapes and wildlife of his journey, with native plants and guiding animals symbolizing resilience, Terry is captured in mid-stride. A circular pathway engraved with milestone markers invites visitors to explore the monument and learn more about his Marathon of Hope.
While the reception to Terry’s marathon of Hope had initially been very low-key, once Fox crossed into Ontario, crowds were growing and growing, helped in part through the efforts of Bill Vigars, public relations officer for the Cancer Society of Canada.
Despite setting a goal of running across Canada by running a marathon a day, Terry never got to finish his run. On 1 September 1980, after running 3, 339 miles over 143 days, Terry was forced to halt his run just east of Thunder Bay, Ontario, when the cancer that took his leg returned, this time infecting his lungs. Although he vowed to resume the run when he’d recovered sufficiently, Terry never got the chance. He died on 28 June 1981, at the age of 22.
Although Terry never got to finish the run, the annual Terry Fox Runs, held in communities big and small across Canada in mid-September each year since 1980, have allowed Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer to far outlive his much-too-brief life. More than $850 million has been raised for cancer research as a result of the Marathon of Hope, far exceeding Terry’s original goal of a $1 donation from every Canadian (24.5 million in 1980). Those who are stricken with the cancer that took Terry’s leg and ultimately took his life, have a much better chance of survival today, all due to the dream of a young man from Port Coquitlam, who refused to believe cancer couldn’t be beaten.
Terry has been gone for over 54 years now, literally a life-time ago, but his spirit lives on. Monuments such as this one across the country, and the annual Terry Fox runs, have allowed Terry to keep running to this day, if only symbolically.
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Sources: Brampton Chinguacousy Park gets Terry Fox monument, Terry Fox memorial honours his 1980 run through Brampton | INsauga, Teen bone cancer survivor credits Terry Fox research advances for her survival.
