Dr. Jenny Ellison recently joined Trent University as an assistant professor in the Department of Canadian Studies, and is already making a name for herself by sharing her research on one of Canada’s most iconic heroes.

As part of her research on physical fitness and body image in contemporary Canadian culture, Prof. Ellison will present her latest work on Terry Fox’s impact on national identity at a public talk at Mount Allison University and the Versions of Canada conference in Charlottetown later this month. On Sunday, September 14, Prof. Ellison will also be speaking at the Terry Fox Run in Peterborough.

“Terry Fox is a unique figure in the Canadian story, because his achievements were recognized in their own time,” Prof. Ellison said. “He made patients’ struggles with cancer public in an unprecedented way. People were only beginning to talk about cancer openly at this time and he put a public face on the disease.”

Terry Fox was a university student when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and had his right leg amputated shortly after the diagnosis. In April of 1980, he began the “Marathon of Hope” – a 26-mile-a-day cross-Canada run to raise money and generate publicity for cancer research. The run gradually generated more and more public attention, and Terry was deemed a hero and incredible for his remarkable achievement. By September, Terry’s cancer had returned, causing the run to end; the media carried regular reports on his health. When he died on June 28, 1981, he had raised $24 million for cancer research.

Prof. Ellison’s research examines Terry Fox’s role in Canadian nationalism and “unifying influence”. Fox was described not only as a hero but also as a man who joined Canada together at a time when Canada was growing farther and farther apart. Nationalism was a key part of the public conversation of the late 1970s and early 1980s, as Canadians grappled with the rise of the Parti Quebecois and the referendum of 1980. In the contemporary context, Fox is celebrated for his tenacity, but in 1980 and 1981 Canadians viewed the Marathon of Hope through the lens of nationalist debates. People believed that he was representative of shared Canadian values, and saw the Marathon as a symbol of hope in a dark period of Canada’s history.

“There is one part of his message that people often forget. His core message in undertaking the run was that he wasn’t special,” said Prof. Ellison. “The marathon got everyone’s attention, and his story was so human, that it immediately captured the imagination of many Canadians.”