Intermediate english reading

42 | 
P a g e
 
best friend received their high school’s Athlete of the Year award. Terry wanted to 
become a Physical Education teacher, and after graduating from high school in 1977, he 
began studying kinesiology
at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. 
3
In December 1976, Terry experienced sharp pain in his right knee. By March of 
the following year, the pain had become so severe that he went to the hospital, where he 
was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. This aggressive form of bone cancer is the sixth 
most common cancer among children; it particularly afflicts teenage boys. Terry’s right 
leg was amputated 15 centimeters above the knee, and he underwent chemotherapy. 
Doctors gave him a 50 percent chance of survival. 
4
After treatment, Terry made rapid progress as a result of his positive thinking 
and the same determination that had served him in school. Three weeks after the 
amputation, he was walking with a prosthetic limb and playing golf with his father. His 
experiences during the 16 months at the British Columbia Cancer Control Agency 
facility, however, left their mark on Terry. Watching other young cancer patients suffer 
and die awakened a deep compassion in him, and he made it his personal mission to 
raise awareness and funds for cancer research. 
5
Inspired by the story of an amputee who ran in the New York City Marathon, 
Terry decided to undertake his own cross-Canada marathon. His goal was to raise $24 
million, one dollar for every Canadian. He trained for 15 months—in itself, no small feat. 
To adjust to his artificial leg, he developed a hop-step gait that was to become his 
trademark. The strain on both his good leg and the stump of his right leg caused 
bruises, blisters, and intense pain, which he was able to overcome after 20 minutes or so 
of running. In August 1979, Terry ran his first marathon in Prince George, British 
Columbia; he came in last, but his spirit was undefeated. 
6
In October 1979, Terry appealed to the Canadian Cancer Society for their 
support in his cross country quest. In his letter, he wrote the following. We need your 
help. The people in cancer clinics all over the world need people who believe in 
miracles. I am not a dreamer, and I am not saying that this [marathon] will initiate any 
kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer. I believe in miracles. I have to. In addition to 
writing to corporations for donations to cover his expenses, vehicle costs, and gear, 
Terry requested government grants to pay for an artificial limb that he could run on. 
With financial support in place and a go-ahead from his doctors, Terry set out on April 
12, 1980, from the east coast at St. Johns, Newfoundland. He began by dipping his leg in 

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