Terry Fox, aspiring young Canadian athlete, learns that the pain in his right knee is due to a cancerous tumour, and his sporting career sadly comes to an end once he receives news that his leg has to be amputated. After a period of lengthy self-reflection, Terry falls in love with Rike Noda, played by
Rosalind Chao, a Christian teacher for mentally disabled children, who helps Terry in his quest to regain his self-confidence. Despite his mother's disapproval, on April 12, 1980, Terry dips his artificial limb into the Atlantic Ocean in St. John's, Newfoundland, and sets off on a Marathon of Hope across Canada to raise money for cancer research, the disease he has been battling for three years. That summer, the young man hobbles triumphantly into Toronto, cheered by over 10,000 Canadians who have adopted the 22-year-old as a national hero. On September 1, after over 3,000 miles, he collapses in Thunder Bay, Ontario and was hospitalized. Fox is accompanied on his journey by his friend, Doug Alward, played by
Michael Zelniker, who has to bear the burden of Fox's disappointment and anger when the marathon does not meet his expectations.
Robert Duvall, starring as Bill Vigars, public relations officer for the Cancer Society of Canada, also accompanies Terry on his journey, and masterminds a publicity campaign which results in mass support for Terry's Marathon of Hope. ==Cast==