New Heritage Minutes clip features Canadian icon Terry Fox

A new Heritage Minutes clip honouring cancer research advocate Terry Fox was released this week to coincide with the run the Canadian icon launched 35 years ago.

The sixty-second film, which was produced by Historica Canada, features reenactments of Fox’s journey across the country to raise funds for cancer research, as well as old footage of the athlete.

Fred Fox, Terry’s brother, say his family was approached in the spring with the idea. While they were immediately onboard, he says their biggest concern was that the actor that was used to portray Terry would closely resemble him. (The actor’s face is never shown.)

“We couldn’t have been happier and more pleased with it,” he tells Yahoo Canada News. “You wonder how they can tell the story in one minute, a story that’s lasted 35 years. But it was awesome.”

On Sunday, September 20, the official Terry Fox Run will take place across the country. Fred says somewhere between 8500 and 9000 schools across Canada will take part.

“The legacy has continued because of so many volunteers and participants and people who’ve donated to cancer research that loved Terry’s story,” Fred says. “It hasn’t waned at all. Students who weren’t born 35 years ago, and their parents, who weren’t born 35 years ago, are doing it.”

He says the run has raised between $25-$27 million a year for cancer research, and a total of $700 million since it started in 1980. Fox adds that more money is raised on anniversary years, and has hopes for this year.

The foundation looks at new ways to expand the yearly run and now reaches out to universities, day cares and seniors homes, not just elementary schools. A run will even take place over Confederation Bridge, between PEI and New Brunswick, for the anniversary.

It’s also not only a Canadian phenomenon. Around the world, 45 countries take part in the event, from India to Cuba, where Fred says they see him as one of their own heroes.

“When it comes to the example that Terry gives all of us, no matter what our age, is that with a little bit of hard work, you can overcome the challenges you face,” he says.