It almost hurts me to walk down a road and have people grab my hand and ask for my autograph and not sit and talk. When I'm finished I'm not going to be on the front page, but I'm going to be just as happy without the publicity.

I am not a dreamer and I am not saying that this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer. Fox's heroic status has been attributed to his image as an ordinary person attempting a remarkable and inspirational feat. Sharp had lost his own son to cancer and offered Fox and his companions free accommodation at his hotels.

His right leg was amputated in 1977 after he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma though he continued to run using an artificial leg. Fox had become a national star by the time he reached Ontario; he made numerous public appearances with businessmen athletes and politicians in his efforts to raise money. Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox CC OD (July 28 1958 – June 28 1981) was a Canadian athlete humanitarian and cancer research activist.