Wonderful collection of letters from so many people, famous and not so famous, supporting Terry Fox's Run across Canada in 1980. It isn't often one person can captivate an entire nation, but that is exactly what he did with his brave attempt to run across Canada. Even non-Canadians will be touched by this collection.

Forever Terry, edited by Darrell Fox, is a wonderful tribute to the 40th anniversary of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope. This collection of letters written by many well-known Canadians really demonstrates that his legacy still lives on today. It is an inspiring and heart-felt book that will be loved by those who are familiar with the story of Terry Fox and those who are just learning about this iconic Canadian.

Terry Fox started on his Marathon of Hope when I was in elementary school. While I don’t think that I fully grasped how much Terry endured while on his cross-country run, I remember the images and the feeling of pride that we all had as kids. He is a true Canadian hero that we looked up to and talked about on the playground. It was an era that definitely inspired so many of us and continues to do so until this day. Reading this book reminded me of the importance to keep my head up despite whatever life throws at me. It is especially true of our current realities in the world.

❀ MANY INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

The book starts off with a foreword written by Michael Bublé and I was pleasantly surprised by his moving words. Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical of what he was going to contribute to a book commemorating Terry Fox. Without spoiling his powerful message, I will say that no matter who you are or what you are going through, Terry’s journey is one that will inspire you. There are so many stories like this within the pages of the book.

❀ LOTS OF WELL-KNOWN CANADIANS’ LETTERS

A few of my favourites are from Darrell Fox, Doug Alward, Rick Hansen, Hayley Wickenheiser, Lloyd Robertson, and Bobby Orr. Many of the submissions are from famous athletes who retell stories of meeting Terry or about the way he has inspired them to be their best. Some will make you laugh out loud, others will leave you in tears, but many will inspire and cause you to reflect.

❀ A WONDERFUL GIFT

If you are in the mood for a feel-good book that will leave you with a message of hope, Forever Terry by Darrell Fox is one to add to your fall reading list. It will make a wonderful gift, as it also has quite a few images that tell so much about who Terry was and what he stood for. What’s also fantastic to note is that Penguin Random House Canada will donate all author proceeds to The Terry Fox Foundation.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Darrell Fox (editor) and Viking through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was filled with incredibly touching letters from everyday people, famous athletes, authors, musicians, family and friends whose lives were forever changed by Terry Fox. I cried throughout this book as I read these letters. The letter from Anna Solnickova was incredibly moving as her story and Terry's are so similar, I had to stop reading the book for the rest of the day. The letters from Mary Handisty, Darryl Sittler, Rick Hansen, Silken Laumann, Debbie Laurie, and Doug Allward had me running to the kitchen for more tissues, but the telegram from Isadore Sharps to Terry, whew that one was hard to read.

I loved reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone. Terry Fox was an amazing young man who deserves to be remembered for generations to come. Happy 40th Anniversary to Terry's dream and the amazing accomplishments he achieved.

If you ask anyone in Canada over the age of 6 who Terry Fox was and they almost surely will be able to answer you. The impact that Terry, who lost a leg to cancer at the age of 18, had on Canadians when he was running his Marathon of Hope 40 years ago was like nothing else in our history. Can you imagine running a marathon every day on one leg taking you on a journey that will take you from Newfoundland to Victoria - a distance of about 7,000 km? If you are not familiar with Terry’s running gait, at a time where prosthetics were not as developed as they are today, please just take a moment to watch a clip. This movement was not without pain, and frequently, blood caused by the constant irritation of his prosthesis with this gait. While Terry’s cancer returned and he had to stop his journey, he had already completed 143 legs and 5373 km and had raised a significant amount of money. In the past 40 years the foundation in his name has raised over $750 Million dollars in many different countries. I’d say that he’s created quite a legacy.

On this, the 40th Anniversary year of the Marathon of Hope, Forever Terry: A Legacy in Letters was created to remind the reader of all this special man has done for humanity. The book was edited by Terry’s brother, Darrell Fox, who joined Terry on his journey. The book is made up of letters written by famous sport personalities, journalists, fellow humanitarians, volunteers and others who themselves are battling cancer or have been impacted by it. These letters discuss the influence and impact Terry has left on their lives - quite the tribute given that several hadn’t even been born when Terry ran The Marathon of Hope.

One of my favourite parts of the book is the typewritten letter that Terry wrote to gain sponsorship for his journey. I also appreciated the photos of Terry throughout the book. The discussion on Terry’s chemotherapy following the amputation magnifies this man’s determination and courage. There is an important discussion of how and why Terry decided to run The Marathon of Hope. His positivity and drive to make a difference in this world will forever be remembered.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.