Canada

Canada’s citizens are finding unity again in the story of the man who ran cross-country on one leg to raise awareness for children’s cancer research.

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Fox’s status as a national hero in Canada has never been in dispute, but at a moment when the country’s sovereignty is under attack and people are once again debating what binds the nation together, his story is attracting renewed, and bipartisan, praise. Indeed, for those outside Canada it can be a surprise to discover the degree to which Fox has become less a person than a national symbol: dozens of roads have been named after him, as have 14 schools. A mountain bears his name. Statues of him dot the country. Canada has issued both stamps and coins with his image. Parks Canada designated him a National Historic Person and called Fox “an enduring icon” who “transformed our vocabulary about personal courage”. The annual Terry Fox Run takes place in late September are now held in more than 60 countries and are the world’s largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research. More than C$1bn (US$715m) has been raised in his name.

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