Terry Fox requires no introduction. His story inspired the world’s largest annual one day cancer fundraiser — bringing in more than $850 million since 1980 — and he is regularly cited as one of the most admired Canadians. At least ten books have been published and two motion pictures produced about him, and over 9,000 runs are hosted in his name every year. In other words, Canadians already know the lore that surrounds Terry Fox.
In Terry & Me, Bill Vigars — the activist’s friend, publicist, and wagon master on the Marathon of Hope — seeks to bring Terry Fox the icon down to earth, with a more intimate depiction of Fox the person. Vigars contextualizes his memories with details of his own difficult times, including a perfect storm of personal and professional adversity in the late 1970s: a fruitless business venture, a failing marriage, a lost home, and a battle with depression.
When he joined the Canadian Cancer Society’s Ontario division in...
Jeff Costen worked for three cabinet ministers in Ontario’s most recent Liberal government. He is now a principal at Navigator Limited.
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