Google, one of the biggest companies in the world, has paid tribute to a Canadian icon.
Sunday’s Google Doodle features an artistic drawing of Terry Fox running along a shoreline with a large grass valley in the background and the sun shinning brightly above in honour of the first-ever Terry Fox Run, which was held on Sept. 13, 1981.
Google Doodle’s are artistic designs that replace the normal Google logo. They often celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of “famous artists, pioneers, and scientists” according to the tech company.
Fox, who was diagnosed with bone cancer that resulted in the amputation of his right leg, embarked on his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope in 1980 in an attempt to raise $24 million for cancer research.
In four months, Fox ran 5,373 kilometres and exceeded his fundraising goal, but cancer prevented him from making it across Canada. Following Fox’s death, the first Terry Fox Run was held on Sept. 13, 1981 in his memory and has since become an annual event, taking place every September, raising more than $800 million for cancer research.
“Thank you, Terry, for every step you took towards the cancer-free world you bravely envisioned,” the company said in a post on the Google Doodle webpage.
The Doodle was designed by Toronto-artist Lynn Scurfield, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in late 2018, and remembers participating in the Terry Fox Run each September at school.
“The Terry Fox run is a staple of my childhood school days. Every year in September, the whole school would take part of the day off and walk around the baseball diamond in honor of his marathon,” Scurfield said in a post. “This topic is also meaningful to me because I was diagnosed with a very curable form of cancer called Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in late 2018 and went through both chemo and radiation for the first half of 2019. My personal experience with cancer in addition to the research I did on Terry for this Doodle has made my respect towards him grow even more. His marathon contributed a lot to both cancer and prosthetic research and continues to do so today. It’s truly amazing.”
This year’s Terry Fox Run is scheduled to take place on Sept. 20 and pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Marathon of Hope. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Terry Fox Foundation won’t be holding a physical run this year, instead, participating in spirit. The organization has left it up to individuals to determine how they wish to participate.
“We ask that you continue to support cancer research by participating in and fundraising for your Virtual Run. We leave it up to you to choose how to celebrate your Terry Fox effort – walk, run, dance, hike – on a favourite route and with your favourite people,” the organization said on its website.
For more information, visit www.terryfox.org.
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