THUNDER BAY – The fact someone hung onto the medical bracelet given to Terry Fox when he was forced to cut short his Marathon of Hope is not surprising, his brother says.
Fred Fox, who was in Thunder Bay on Wednesday speaking to children at local schools on the day classes resumed, said the family and the Terry Fox Foundation continues to this day to receive items of interest from Terry Fox’s now iconic trek across Canada.
“It’s funny how we keep receiving this kind of stuff over the years … I think, obviously, somebody felt that was very important to them for so long to keep it and that just tells you of Terry’s legacy and the impact that he’s had on so many people, so it’s nice to have that as part of the Terry legacy,” Fred Fox said.
The bracelet, which includes his name and date of birth, and the Sept. 1, 1980 date, and labelled The General Hospital, Thunder Bay, Ont., was returned anonymously by a former employee of the company that brought Terry Fox home from Thunder Bay.
The package included a note.
“I apologize for keeping this wristband for so long,” it reads. “When your son was medevaced from Thunder Bay I was working for the aviation company that flew him home. The next morning, I found the wristband on the floor of the aircraft. I have kept it far too long, it is yours, not mine. My only excuse is I felt close to a true hero, which your son is. Please forgive me.”
Darrell Fox posted the photo revealing the return to social media and the the response was uplifting.
“This is just next level,” one commenter said. “Thank you for sharing this, Darrell! This is proof that all Canadians carry a piece of Terry with us!”
“This brings a tear to my eye,” another follower said.
“Wow. Just wow. I am so glad this is back with your family. Terry touched so many people’s very heart and soul. And continues to be a legacy today,” a third reader said.
Terry Fox, who lost a leg to cancer, began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean. He managed to run 5,373 kilometres before the cancer returned, this time in his lungs, forcing him to stop his historic run on Sept. 1, 1980, just east of Thunder Bay.
His goal was to raise $1 for every Canadian to put toward cancer research.
Terry Fox died on June 28, 1981, at just 22 years of age.
His legacy far surpassed anything he could ever have imagined. Over the past 45 years, the annual Terry Fox run has raised more than $850 million toward cancer research.