Genuine Heros: "Enabling Perspectives"

One of the obstacles facing society today is that moral relativism has taught us that we should be our own heroes, setting our own standards. Unfortunately, we then miss out on learning from the extraordinary example of others.

For my own part, one of my sources of inspiration has derived from the life of Terry Fox. In the late 1970’s, twenty year old Terry Fox lost his leg to cancer. Rather than giving up or blaming God, he decided to do something about it. He began raising money for cancer research by running across Canada. Several years after that initial run, millions of people in over sixty countries around the world participate in the annual Terry Fox Run which has raised over 360 million dollars for cancer research world wide.

To only view Terry Fox as an iconic figure in the fight against cancer however, would be a mistake. He was far more. Terry Fox was an example to disabled people everywhere that you can live life to your full potential and you don’t have to fit into the boxes of limitation that either you or, society may try to put you in.

I was nine years old when Terry Fox was running across Canada and was only beginning to deal with the challenges associated with cerebral palsy. I was still living within the shadow of a medical diagnosis which, as I have stated in previous contributions to this site, predicted that I would never walk, talk, read, write, or go to a regular school.

But I sat riveted to the news broadcasts that showed Terry Fox running across Canada on one leg made of flesh, the other made of metal. I decided as I watched him, that there was a lot more that I could be doing with my life, despite my limitations. My behaviour changed. I began swimming into deeper waters in the lake, in front of our family cottage. Before, I would not go past my waist. I got off the sidelines and joined road hockey games at school and began working out in the gym. I also took note that Terry Fox had a girlfriend and thought, “Hey there’s hope for me!

What happened?

Well, Terry Fox eliminated my excuses for not living life to my maximum potential. And his life still presents all of us with a sobering challenge. If your obstacles in life are challenges associated with disability or difficult life circumstances, take the opportunity to learn from heroes like Terry Fox and choose to get out of your boxes of limitation.

What do you think?

For more information about Terry Harris please see

http://encourager.ca/files/204386522553841.pdf