Mother of cancer research activist Terry Fox dies
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mother of cancer research activist Terry Fox, whose marathon cross-Canada run inspired a global fundraising effort to fight the disease, has died.
Betty Fox, who was in her early 70s, died Friday morning, her family said in a notice posted on the Terry Fox Foundation website.
Terry Fox was a young bone cancer survivor with an artificial leg who set out in 1980 on his "Marathon of Hope" to raise money and awareness about the disease. He suffered a recurrence of the disease and halted the run in Ontario after covering nearly 5,400 kilometers (3,355 miles) in 143 days.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He died in 1981 at age 22 after becoming the youngest person to be awarded the Order of Canada at that time and is considered a national hero.
Betty Fox kept her son's cancer-fighting legacy alive by organizing runs, raising funds and helping launch the research institute and foundation that promotes Terry Fox Runs across the globe.