A new book will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
Called Forever Terry: A Legacy in Letters, the book will feature 40 letters by 40 prominent Canadians reflecting on Terry Fox’s life and legacy. The book was edited by Terry Fox’s younger brother Darrell Fox.
Contributors include hockey player Bobby Orr, actor Shawn Ashmore, Olympian Perdita Felicien, writer Margaret Atwood, basketball star Steve Nash, singer Jann Arden and athlete and activist Rick Hansen.
“We are all forever proud of the important work Terry has made and continues to make possible, and it is inspiring to read about the impact he had on the brilliant Canadians who were moved to contribute to Forever Terry,” said Darrell Fox said in a press release.
Forever Terry: A Legacy in Letters will be published on Sept. 1, 2020.
A portion of the book’s proceeds will go to the Terry Fox Foundation to support cancer research.
In 1980, Terry Fox captured Canada’s imagination when he embarked on a run across Canada to raise money for cancer.
The 21-year-old from Port Coquitlam, B.C., had lost part of his right leg to cancer when he was 18. He ran a marathon every day and made it as far as Thunder Bay, Ont., before the cancer spread to his lungs and he had to stop.
He raised more than $24 million over the course of his Marathon of Hope.
He died on June 28, 1981 at 22 years old.
Since 1980, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised more than $800 million for cancer research and holds an annual run in September in Fox’s honour.
A companion picture book called Terry Fox and Me, written by Mary Beth Leatherdale and illustrated by Milan Pavlović, will be published on Aug. 4, 2020.
