Everyone of a certain age will likely have their own memories of Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope. Whether you watched from afar or were one of the people standing at the roadside to cheer him on, no one, during the summer of 1980, could have missed the story of this remarkable young man and his dream of raising $1 million dollars for cancer research.

Bill Vigars, who had recently begun a new job with the Cancer Society, was sent to New Brunswick as an emissary of the organization and to see what was happening on the ground with this young man and his mission. This was April 1980 and the Cancer Society’s Daffodil Campaign was in full gear leaving the organization with little capacity to get involved in an ‘unknown’ fundraising campaign. The book, Terry & Me, is Vigar’s accounting of his time with Terry during the Marathon of Hope. As a representative of the Society and an advocate for Terry, his role was often conflicted. But as the countless miles rolled on, Vigar began to realize that his one real job was to take care of Terry, at whatever cost to his own welfare.

There have been many stories, movies and documentaries about Terry Fox but this book may be the first time that a true glimpse of this remarkable young man, hero to many, has been offered. We see a soul who is driven from within towards a goal about which he is very clear… to raise money for cancer research. He was driven by the memory of the children that he was with while undergoing treatment for his own cancer, which ultimately cost him his leg. We observe him through Bill’s eyes… a young man with a huge but compromised heart who had the tenacity and spirit of a bulldog. His sense of humour, generosity, kindness and focus are revealed throughout this story of Terry’s journey during and after the run.

This is not a great work of literature insofar as the quality of editing is concerned, but it is a story that will, as it did to me, bring you to tears. 

Image source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-bill-vigars-terry-fox-1.5729022