[2020-10-14] Terry Fox and Me

Today, I read Terry Fox and Me, the children's book that tells the story of the deep friendship between Terry Fox and Doug Alward. Here's a synopsis:

Terry Fox is the worst player at tryouts for the basketball team at Mary Hill Junior High School. While his coach suggests that he might be better at wrestling, he agrees to not cut Terry from the team if he comes to practice.

The next day, Terry calls Doug Alward, a kid he met at the tryouts. "Hi, Doug. Want to play some one-on-one? I need to work on my game?" Doug doesn't want to play with the worst kid on the team, so he says he is busy. But Terry keeps calling. A week later, Doug agrees to play with him.

They play all summer long. Doug beats Terry every game. But by the fall, Terry has improved enough to make the team's roster.

By high school, Terry is taller than Doug and beats him 21-0 whenever they plan one-on-one. They don't hang out as much anymore: Terry is with his basketball friends; Doug is training for provincial championships in cross-country running, the one sport Terry doesn't like. The night before Doug's big race, Terry calls him. "Good luck tomorrow," he says. "Just do your best, Doug. One step at a time." All through Doug's race, Terry's words ring in his head. He wins the second-place medal.

When university starts, Terry confides in Doug that his knee is hurting. When he can barely walk, Terry goes to the hospital. Doug visits him the next day. Tears are rolling down Terry's face. He has a rare form of cancer, and the doctors will amputate his leg.

After his operation, Terry shows Doug a magazine story about a guy with one leg who ran the New York City Marathon. He muses about running across Canada.

Once Terry completes his treatment, he starts training with weights and playing wheelchair basketball to build his strength. He wants to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research, and he asks Doug to help him train.

Running is painful, but that doesn't stop Terry. By the end of the summer, Terry is running 8 km per day. Doug invites him to run in a cross-country race he's entering. Terry agrees, asking Doug to enter him in the shortest distance. Doug pushes him, and Terry enters the gruelling 28 km course. "Terry comes in last, grinning from ear to ear."

A few months before the start of Terry's cross-Canada run, Doug has doubts. He asks Terry to find someone else to accompany him. Terry insists: "You're my best friend. You have to go with me! Remember—take it one step at a time."

When spring arrives, Terry is ready. So is Doug. They begin the race in Newfoundland, standing side by side on the rocky shore. When Terry looks up at the steep hill ahead, Doug says, "Just do your best, Terry.... One step at a time."

In a postscript to the book, Terry's brother Darrell writes:

I believe that if you look up the meaning of the word "friend," you should find Doug Alward's name. In 1980, Doug sacrificed and committed the whole year to supporting the Marathon of Hope—he was the only person by my brother's side every kilometre that he ran. Doug received no payment. His reward was supporting his best friend and witnessing him run into history while helping those less fortunate.... Doug always downplays his role. Terry needed a believer, someone who matched his never-give-up attitude and his stubbornness, who would be there through the good and the not-so-good times.

In Doug's own postscript (the book is written by children's author Mary Beth Leaderdale and illustrated by Milan Pavlović), he talks about Terry's determination and positive view on his circumstances:

After his right leg was 80% amputated, Terry said to me, "Thank God I have 20% of my leg left. The doctor left just enough thigh muscle for me to be able to swing the artificial leg so I can run." Most people would focus on the 80% of leg they had lost. Terry focused on what leg he had left and what was possible with it.

I loved Terry Fox and Me.
  • It exudes humility, a trait that Darrell said Terry and Doug shared. Doug describes Terry as "an ordinary guy" who did "something incredible."
  • It honours selflessness.
  • It praises a positive outlook in the face of difficult circumstances.
  • It lauds hard work and determination: Doug explains that Terry focused on doing what he could with what he had, whether that was going from a C student to an A student or from someone who disliked cross-country running to someone with the world record for the longest run by a person on an artificial leg: 5373 km in 143 days.
  • It provides the key to overcoming any challenge and achieving something remarkable: take it one step at a time.
  • It celebrates a profound and meaningful friendship.

For my part, I feel like I have many "Doug Alwards" in my life. I am certain that I would not be as positive about my circumstances without all the support I have received from family members, friends, coworkers and people I have come to know as a result of sharing my story.

Photo credit: Amazon.ca