Terry Fox was a cancer patient whose leg had been amputated just above his knee because of osteogenic sarcoma. Terry ran 3,339 miles (5,373 km) across Canada in 143 days; this is equivalent to running a full marathon every day.
"Today we got up at 4:00 am. As usual, it was tough. If I died, I would die happy because I was doing what I wanted to do. How many people could say that? I went out and did fifteen push-ups in the road and took off. I want to set an example that will never be forgotten," Terry said.
During his run across Canada, he was forced to stop because the cancer had spread to his lungs. Terry died a month before his 23rd birthday in 1981.
The annual Terry Fox run is a charity run that is held all over the world in his honor. It has raised more than $500 million for cancer research.