White Rock91裸聊视频檚 Bill Vigars is a man with hundreds of personal stories about one of Canada91裸聊视频檚 greatest heroes 91裸聊视频� Terry Fox.

And he loves sharing them.

91裸聊视频淗e changed my life, and I will do everything to keep his legacy alive.91裸聊视频�

Vigars, who was Fox91裸聊视频檚 publicist, was at SFU Surrey Friday (Sept. 23), sharing stories of the time he spent with Terry more than four decades ago, during the Marathon of Hope.

91裸聊视频淭he one thing that people don91裸聊视频檛 realize is how nice he was,91裸聊视频� Vigars told his audience. 91裸聊视频淗e was funny, he was relaxed, he loved kids. He was driven by what happened to him in the hospital.91裸聊视频�

Fox would often say, 91裸聊视频淚 can quit the run any time I want, but the kids in the hospital can91裸聊视频檛,91裸聊视频� he recounted.

Vigars, who has never worked for the Terry Fox Foundation, was 33 when he joined the Marathon of Hope. He was responsible for getting the word out about Fox and his historic run. He was working with the Canadian Cancer Society at the time.

The first time he met Fox was on June 9, 1980. He was sent down to Edmundston, New Brunswick, to meet him on his run. Vigars saw how small towns were 91裸聊视频渢ransfixed91裸聊视频� with Fox when he ran through. He thought to himself, 91裸聊视频渋f this guy gets into a populated area, he91裸聊视频檒l explode.91裸聊视频�

There was really no schedule for the run, although Fox had to be in Ottawa for July 1 and July 11 in Toronto.

Vigars left Edmundston, and for the next three weeks he drove to as many small towns between Toronto and Ottawa, asking them to organize an event for Fox. They all said the same thing, if Fox made it this far, they would organize an event, said Vigars. Each one of these small towns has a monument for Fox.

He set up several events for Fox for when he would run through Toronto 91裸聊视频� an appearance at a Blue Jays Game and meeting Bobby Orr.

When Vigars asked Fox how he did it, the young man responded that he took it one telephone pole at a time. 

91裸聊视频淗e would run from one pole to another, then so on. He said he could not run 42 kilometres, but could run with the mindset of running from pole to pole.91裸聊视频�

Shortly after the cancer returned, invading Fox91裸聊视频檚 lungs and forcing him to abandon his cross-Canada run on Sept. 1, 1980, outside Thunder Bay, Ont. Soon after, Vigars spoke with the CBC.

91裸聊视频淭his is not the end of the run,91裸聊视频� he said at the time. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 only the beginning.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淎nd 42 years later,91裸聊视频� he said Friday, 91裸聊视频渨e are still here.91裸聊视频�

Over $ 850 million has been raised in support of cancer research.

anna.burns@surreynowleader.com
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