Canada Post Terry Fox Marathon of Hope -- 150th Anniversary of Canada

CANADA POST on 25 May 2021 honored Terry Fox in their series of 10 stamps dedicated to the 150 anniversary of the Dominion of  Canada. The "Marathon of Hope" stamp shows Fox running in his iconic Marathon of Hope T-shirt. He was the sixth recipient of a special  maple-leaf-shaped stamp as well as another commemorative stamp depicting a torch. Under UV light, the stamp's paper emits a moderate bluish-white glow and the fluorescent frame glows yellow-white. A ceremony launching the issuance of this stamp was held at City Hall in St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland. It was not far from here that Terry took the first step in his epic "Terry Fox Marathon of Hope" on 12 April 1980, with his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean.

Terrance Stanley Fox CC OD (July 28, 1958 – June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, with one leg having been amputated due to cancer, he embarked on an east to west cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi), and which ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$800 million has been raised in his name as of April 2020.

While recovering in the hospital after being diagnosed with bone cancer at age 18 and having most of his right leg amputated, Terry saw the suffering of other cancer patients, especially children, and wanted to do something about it. His answer was his personal Marathon of Hope.

Canada Post said of the Canada 150 Marathon of Hope stamp: “On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox embarked on a quest to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He ran nearly a full marathon a day before he was forced to abandon his run in Thunder Bay, Ontario, when his cancer spread. Fox died at age 22 in 1981 but his legacy has lived on; the annual Terry Fox run has raised more than $700 million worldwide as on 2021."