Fred Fox thanks Wilmot for honouring younger brother Terry’s legacy

By Nigel Gordijk  Thursday, September 1, 2022

“It was nice to meet so many caring people,” said Terry Fox’s older brother after his “Gratitude Tour” of the township.

Fred Fox visited Wilmot on September 1, the 42nd anniversary of the end of younger brother Terry’s Marathon of Hope. “It was nice to meet so many caring people,” he said. (Photo: Nigel Gordijk)

It was a day of celebration and reflection on September 1, when Terry Fox’s older brother visited Wilmot. Fred Fox spent the day in the township on a “Gratitude Tour” to thank supporters of the local Terry Fox Run, exactly 42 years after the Canadian icon ended his Marathon of Hope in Thunder Bay.

Fred began his tour by visiting the Township of Wilmot’s administration office to meet with members of council and staff. Nigel Gordijk, who leads the Wilmot Terry Fox Run with his wife, Cheryl, introduced their guest by announcing that a fundraising milestone had been reached.

“You might have seen last week that we were within touching distance of raising a quarter of a million dollars since the first local run in 1996,” he said. “I’m pleased to tell you that our grand total from the past 26 years is currently $260,000. Considering the size of our population, this community continues to punch above its weight.”

56 percent of that total has been raised since the beginning of 2019.

Fred told Township personnel that support from communities like Wilmot helps to keep his brother’s legacy alive, and he shared Terry’s final journal entry from the 143rd day of his run.

“People were still lining the road saying to me, ‘Keep going, don’t give up, you can do it, you can make it, we’re all behind you.’ Well, you don’t hear that and have it go in one ear and out the other, for me anyway. There was a camera crew waiting at the three-quarter mile point to film me. I don’t think they even realized that they filmed my last mile. People were still saying, ‘You can make it all the way, Terry.’ I started to think about those comments in that mile, too. Yeah, I thought, this might be my last one.”

The Gordijks, who are leading their tenth annual fundraising campaign, took Fox to New Hamburg Library, which hosted a Terry Fox exhibition in July, as well as local businesses, where he thanked owners and staff for raising funds for cancer research. At New Hamburg Veterinary Clinic, he collected a cheque for $1,350, which were the proceeds from a pet nail trim fundraiser.

Fred Fox met the owner of New Hamburg Veterinary Clinic, Glen Blier, as well as receptionist Taryn McIntyre and office manager Amanda Dow. The clinic presented Fox with a cheque for $1,350, following its cancer research fundraiser.

Amanda Dow, the clinic’s office manager, said, “It was quite an honour meeting Fred. It’s amazing to me that after so many years, he still heads out to meet the people who are working to keep his brother’s work going.”

18 guests joined Fox for lunch at The Old Country Restaurant, including local cancer survivors and run volunteers. Also present were Jeff Heer, a teacher at New Dundee P.S., and his daughters, Abbott and Isla. In 1998, when he was a student, Heer received the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award.

In the afternoon, Fred gave a presentation at Morningside Village retirement community, which is home to the biggest fundraising team in Wilmot. The Morningside Walkers are led by Ross and Jane Eichler, who are both cancer survivors. The team first took part in the Wilmot Terry Fox Run in 2016, with 10 members. By 2021, that grew to 27 people, and over those five years, the team raised $20,000.

Ross said, “Terry’s dream means a lot to many cancer survivors here at Morningside. So many of us have been touched by cancer, and thanks to research, we’re able to carry on with our lives.”

The day after his visit, Fred sent a message to the Gordijks via Facebook, expressing how much he appreciated spending an important anniversary in Wilmot. “It was nice to meet so many caring people,” he said.