I watched the ESPN documentary on Canadian legend Terry Fox last night, and within 10 minutes I was flashing back, quite vividly, to my days in the cancer ward. His motivation - to go out and fight for those still suffering through treatments - is exactly what I've felt from the day I finished my chemo treatments. Obviously Terry faced far more challenges than me in his running goals (note the primitive prosthetic leg he had, and consider the condition of his skin/bone after running well over 3,000 miles on it), but my motivation is exactly the same.
The distance he covered and the money he raised are, quite literally, breathtaking. Even though I will never approach such remarkable feats myself, I find comfort in knowing that if I keep running, doing my small part to keep getting out there and striving to inspire, a patient somewhere may stumble upon my blog and be motivated to keep fighting through their own treatment. ...and if they're anything like me, Terry, and countless other patients, they'll find a way to give back and inspire their fellow patients once they get out of the hospital.
We're all quite different in our abilities and backgrounds, but together we make an amazing team of cancer fighters. ...and through my running, I consider myself lucky to be a member.
This is why I run!
(...no, not for the NFL/Verizon ad you have to wait through...the part after that!)
ESPN will be re-airing this 1 hour documentary a few times in the next month, but I'll be honest in saying the air times are pretty horrible. The good news is you can find it on iTunes and Amazon. I haven't checked it out yet, but I would hope that some of the proceeds would go to the Terry Fox Foundation (if not, shame on you, ESPN!). Enjoy!
3 comments:
Thanks for spreading the word about the documentary, Dan. I rushed to the DVR the second I got home last to watch it and, boy, it wiped me out completely. To call the film inspiring is probably the understatement of the year. I thought of you as I watched it and of how far cancer treatments have come since Terry's incredible run to raise all the awareness that he did. Thank you for carrying on Terry's fighting spirit.
And one thing I've yet to master during 100-milers and 24-hour runs is the "no whining" rule. After watching Terry's film -- I immediately ordered the DVD from Amazon after it ended -- I will never, ever whine again NO MATTER WHAT.
Just this clip you posted made tears come to my eyes. Thank you for making sure all of us hear about it.
Agree with everything in your post Dan. But then, being an ultra running ex cancer patient like yourself, I would.
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