Most American (I believe) have never heard of Terry Fox. I certainly hadn't when I immigrated to Canada from the United States in October 2005 at the age of 48. That year, for the 25th anniversary of the "Marathon of Hope", Canada had issued the Terry Fox loonie (Canada's one-dollar coin). I received a Terry Fox loonie in change one morning at a Tim Horton's in Moncton, and looked at the iconic image of Terry, running on his prosthetic leg and said to my friend, "I don't get it ... is this some kind of bionic man?" Several bystanders turned their heads and my friend, embarrassed, said "Charles ... that's not very funny.."
I didn't intend it as a joke. I really didn't understand. I certainly didn't recognize the image of a man that is so familiar to every Canadian.
So my friend (Jeff, by name) told me the story of Terry Fox and his historic 1980 "Marathon of Hope" which started in the neighbouring Atlantic province of Newfoundland and ended 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi) later, when Terry's cancer returned. Within a year, it had taken his life. He died at the age of 22.
As Jeff told me the story, some of the bystanders, who were at first shocked and offended at my "joke", which they considered to be in unimaginably poor taste, joined in, each adding some detail or personal remembrance to the story. When they learned that I was an American, they were glad to share Terry's story with me. They all knew it ... and all could contribute a detail, or a feeling, to it.
It was a wonderful experience, especially for a newcomer to Canada, and I will never forget that moment.
I learned that there is probably no adult in Canada who doesn't know who Terry Fox is, what he looked like, and why he had an artificial leg.
When I learned Terry Fox's story, he became a personal hero to me, and always will be. And I understood a new kind of heroism, of life lived with courage, that most Americans don't understand. Terry Fox may be Canada's greatest hero; certainly the most recognizable, but that is only partly because of what he did. It's because of who Canadians are. He's a hero here in Canada because of what is special about Canadians. And that's an invaluable trait that I hope I also possess.
Surprisingly, I don't have a Terry Fox commemorative loonie anymore, and I should get one.
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Charles Aulds
15 September 2019
