A/N so we had our annual Terry Fox assembly today and I couldn't stop thinking about Matthew. And I thought, Alfred has so many 9/11 stories, why doesn't Mattie have any for one of the greatest heroes and greatest tragedies in Canadian history?
Disclaimer: Do you really think I own the Marathon of Hope?
Matthew Williams was crying.
He was trying not to, but he couldn't help it. The tears kept streaming down his face and he couldn't stop.
He had been driving in his car to another one of the world meetings, contemplating ways to make himself seen. His radio had been softly blaring a song about 500 miles, he hadn't really been listening.
But then the music seemed to get louder. And it seemed to be coming from outside his car. He glanced outside to see hundreds of people running down the street, that same song blasting from a truck traveling with them.
That was when Matthew remembered what day it was.
They were all running the Terry Fox Run.
"Boss, what's happening? Why is everybody running?"
"Eh, haven't you heard Matthew? This guy here wants to raise 24 million dollars in cancer research, so he's running all the way across Canada."
"Eh? Why would he want to raise it that way? And why is he running so funny?
"He has an artificial leg."
How Matthew remembered it. Watching the curly-haired youth run a marathon every day. The whole country had been watching, and cheering him on. Matthew could not remember the last time he had felt so united inside.
He had met Terry, just once. And Terry had noticed him.
"Eh, hello?"
"Oh, hi there! What's your name?"
"Matthew, eh. I just, um...I just wanted to tell you how wonderful it is, what you are doing."
"Well, thanks, Mattie! It's hard sometimes, but I try my best."
"And here. A small donation."
"Wow! Twenty dollars? Gee, thanks Mattie!"
He wondered if Terry had known that his country had stood before him that day, that every single Canadian loved him and wanted to help, if he might have been different. He had been fixing the straps on his leg.
How Matthew's chest had panged when he saw what Terry had to go through. Why did life have to be so hard for him.
"What's the matter, Boss? Why are you crying?"
"It's...its Terry. The cancer has spread to his lungs."
"What?"
Matthew has wept on that day, as well, He watched Terry's press conference from his stretcher, and both he and his boss had cried like babies.
He had never been more proud of a single Canadian as he was of Terry.
That was why his death hit him as hard as it had.
"Matthew? What's wrong?"
"Boss, Terry...Terry..."
"Terry what, Matthew? What happened!
The whole nation had wept that day. On June 28th, 1981.
Matthew refused to let him be forgotten. He ran to the world meeting. He made himself noticed. He told Terry's story, with tears rolling from his eyes.
And before he knew it, the whole world was involved. Almost every country in the world was running, and raising money for cancer research. People all over knew who Terry Fox was, even if they didn't know he was Canadian.
Canadians knew.
They knew because of the14 schools named after him all across the country. They knew, because of the 14 athletic buildings with his name emblazoned on the front. They know because of the 32 roads and streets near the Terry Fox Courage Highway and the oversized statue of him. They knew because of seven other statues and nine fitness trails. They knew because of Mount Terry Fox.
"I won't let him be forgotten, Boss."
Matthew stared at his friends and fellow citizens running, smiling, laughing. He remembered.
He would be late for his meeting. He would miss it entirely. He didn't care. He got out of his car, slammed the door, and joined the crowd. Matthew ran. And he sang.
"But I would walk 500 miles
and I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles
to fall down at your door."
As they ran and talked to anyone about anything, Matthew overheard a snippet of someone else's conversation. A phrase echoed out to him. He remembered.
"What do you think we should put on his grave, Matthew?"
"What does his family want?"
"I don't know. This short phrase. It says 'Somewhere the hurt must stop.'"
"..."
"Matthew?"
"It's perfect."
Somewhere the hurt would stop. We're almost there, Terry, thought Matthew. We're running. And we're almost there.
Terry Fox
1958-1981 Died at age 22 from cancer in his lungs.
Somewhere the hurt must stop.
A/N Gah! Anything to do with Terry Fox makes me cry. That's why I hate the assemblies. So emotional. And I donated 5 bucks. It was all I had!
The reason for the song. "I'm Gonna Be" by the Proclaimers, if you didn't know, is because that song plays at every single Terry Fox assembly I've ever been to. And every single person in the room gets up, and stomps their feet, and sings, and claps their hands. Because we're Canadian like that.
RIP Terry Fox .