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Terry Fox (1958-1981) remains one of the most influential athletes in Canadian history, best known for his Marathon of Hope in which he attempted to trek from coast to coast across Canada w/ an artificial leg in the hopes of raising money & awareness for cancer research. On November 12, 1976 while driving home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, he was distracted by bridge construction when he crashed into the back of a pickup truck. The incident left him w/ a sore right knee, though the pain he felt a month later & in March 1977 the pain intensified as doctors diagnosed him w/ osteosarcoma, in which he had to have his leg amputated w/ a minimal chance of survival. He was given an artificial leg & had an ongoing recovery w/ the cancer subdued. Shortly afterwards, after given an article about Dick Traum, the first amputee to complete a New York City marathon, which eventually led to his own Marathon of Hope campaign to run across country to raise $1 from each of Canada's 24 million citizens at the time for cancer research. His trek began on April 12, 1980 when he set off from St. John's, Newfoundland en route to Victoria, British Columbia. As the marathon took a toll on his body, he didn't stop until his 143rd day when he was experiencing coughing & chest pains near Thunder Bay, Ontario to which by that time cancer had spread to his lungs, forcing him to stop after 5,373 kilometers (3,339 miles) of running. By that time he had raised over $1.7 million & months afterwards he had received chemotherapy treatments until on June 19, 1981 he had contracted pneumonia & fell into a coma. Fox died at 4:35am on June 28, 1981, one month before his 23rd birthday. His legacy of the marathon has led to advance research in cancer, higher survival rates of other patients w/ osteosarcoma, as well as a number of places & features around Canada named in his honor. In recent years the TransCanada Highway has expanded here into a freeway w/ this signpost marking the exact spot where Fox had to resign his Marathon. I'm surprised they marked this sign in miles as I'm sure most Americans likely have never heard of him.
Source: Wikipedia
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The capital of Canada is Ottawa, in the province of Ontario. There are offically ten provinces and three territories in Canada, which is the second largest country in the world in terms of land area.While politically and legally an independant nation, the titular head of state for Canada is still Queen Elizabeth.On the east end of Canada, you have Montreal as the bastion of activity. Montreal is famous for two things, VICE magazine and the Montreal Jazz Festival. One is the bible of hipster life (disposable, of course) and the other is a world-famous event that draws more than two million people every summer. Quebec is a French speaking province that has almost seceded from Canada on several occasions, by the way..When you think of Canada, you think of . . . snow, right?But not on the West Coast. In Vancouver, it rains. And you'll find more of the population speaking Mandarin than French (but also Punjabi, Tagalog, Korean, Farsi, German, and much more).Like the other big cities in Canada, Vancouver is vividly multicultural and Vancouverites are very, very serious about their coffee.Your standard Vancouverite can be found attired head-to-toe in Lululemon gear, mainlining Cafe Artigiano Americanos (spot the irony for ten points).But here's a Vancouver secret only the coolest kids know: the best sandwiches in the city aren't found downtown. Actually, they're hidden in Edgemont Village at the foot of Grouse Mountain on the North Shore."It's actually worth coming to Canada for these sandwiches alone." -- Michelle Superle, VancouverText by Steve Smith.
