Led by Terry Fox's brother, cyclists stop in Thunder Bay, Ont., on National Ride of Hope
CBC
As the cyclists came to a halt in front of the Terry Fox National Historic Monument in Thunder Bay, Ont., the sound of cheers subsided into a moment of silence.
Then came the tears.
It's been 27 years since Darrell Fox last stood beneath his older brother's statue.
Terry Fox was 18 when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, known as bone cancer, in 1977. His right leg was amputated just above his knee.
In April 1980, he dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean and began his trek across the country to raise money for cancer research. However, his Marathon of Hope was cut short just outside of Thunder Bay, when his cancer spread to his lungs.
Terry Fox died in June 1981 when he was 22 years old. Now, 45 years after he began his journey across the country, his younger brother Darrell Fox and seven other cyclists are riding from Vancouver to St. John's in his memory, with the goal of raising $1 million this summer.
To date, more than $900 million has been raised in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run.
"I thought he was invincible. I didn't think anything could stop Terry Fox. He ran 42 kilometres every day on an artificial leg," Darrell Fox told CBC News during Monday's visit in the northwestern Ontario city.
"It took a long time, a decade where I was running away from the Marathon of Hope instead of accepting it and embracing it."
The National Ride of Hope began on June 9 in Vancouver and has already raised more than $950,000. The cyclists have been visiting communities along the way to hear the stories of those touched by Terry Fox's journey.
"I never tire of them," Darrell Fox said. "I've been absorbing Terry Fox stories of those that not only have been inspired by Terry but have gone through cancer and [are] on the other side, and feel thankful because of the investment we've made in cancer research."
Dozens of people flocked to the monument to meet Darrell Fox and his team, including Gloria Nacinovic.
She remembers when Terry Fox passed through Red Rock after she'd just finished her cancer treatment for lymphoma, and brought a poster signed by him to Monday's gathering.
"I went up, introduced myself and said, 'I get why you're doing this and thank you,'" she recalled. "He was most gracious and his entourage was most gracious."
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This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.