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Every now and then one of those books comes along that makes you stop, take a beat, and reset. This is just such a book – a heartbreaking, gorgeous compendium of interviews, journal entries, and notes concerning who must be (and still is) “the greatest Canadian hero ever”. This, of course, is Terry Fox — in the words of Darryl Sittler, a Maple Leaf hockey legend, (and one of the interviewees in this book).

Terry Fox, for those who may still not know him, was an eighteen-year old student at Simon Fraser University, — a smallish athlete of only medium physical ability but, according to coaches and teammates who knew him, Terry was gifted with extraordinary grit and perseverance.

In 1977, when Terry experienced pain in his knee, the worst moments in his life happened. Yet somehow Terry “took the worst possible news and made it into something great for all Canadians”. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a malignant form of deadly cancer, Terry’s leg was amputated above the knee four days later. Finding himself bedded into a pediatric ward, due to the fast moving surgical happenings, Terry encountered ten and eleven year old boys, suffering with the same illness, some going through the same horrific experiences that he was.

What happened next, as described by the (over fifty) interviews in this book, is the stuff of legends. Terry decided then and there, that “the hurting must stop and I am determined to take myself to the limit for this cause”. And so he did. Terry’s family, friends, team mates, and coaches describe how they saw his plan unfold — a run across the entirety of Canada — to raise money and awareness for Cancer research. With his one leg, and a bare-bones prosthetic, Terry determined he would run the equivalent of a marathon a day, an average of 26 miles, — every single day.

Beginning on April 12 1980, at age 21, Terry began his run from the east coast of St John’s, Newfoundland. This book tells his story, with a breadth and depth, and a personal touch, that is breathtaking (unseen in any of the previous books written about Terry).

In these pages, amongst others, we hear the words of his family, his girlfriend, his best friends, his supporters, people who met him along the way, his medical staff, his prosthetist, a parole officer, a hotel magnate, and a baker – everywhere people whose lives were touched by Terry, many of them cancer survivors themselves or for loved ones.

According to those closest to him, Terry’s run was punishing, and he was in unbelievable pain. And yet he carried on. Right up until the point when his cancer, horrifically, returned, and he was forced to abandon his run in Thunder Bay on Sept 1, 1980.

Terry passed on June 28, 1981. Terry’s legacy, – The Terry Fox Foundation, and his Research Institute – to this day, have raised over 900 million dollars for Cancer research.

This book, and the stories it tells, all of them, will break your heart but will open it at the same time, to the greatness inside all of us – and the Hope that can transform a nation.

I listened to the audio version of this book – a personal journey rendered so intimately that its content will stick me. Forever.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author/editor of this book, and the publisher. All thoughts presented are my own.