How I Got to Know About Terry Fox Through Bill Simmons

As most of you don't know, I'm a big fan of Bill Simmons. I've been following him since the 2006 NBA Finals when I read a Mark Cuban blog post where he claimed that Simmons has become his new favorite sports writer.

I couldn't blame Cubes. He wrote masterfully with a lot of pop culture reference and most importantly, made me laugh (aside from the fact that he rooted against the Heat because of poor officiating. Finally, I favorite writer of my own.

I followed him since then, listened to 25% of his podcasts, bought both his books, RSSed his Twitter account, and even watched the TV shows he watched. I'm such a big fan of his. So just like Cuban, you can't really blame me if I watch the TV show he produces, 30 for 30. I'd totally go Senor Chang to be one of his friends.

One time, he tweeted about a 30 for 30 episode that everybody needed to watch. I didn't know anything about what the document was about, all I knew was Bill Simmons told me to watch it.

A few seconds into the program, they showed Steve Nash which I thought was favorable to me cause it was about basketball (I admit, the only 30 for 30 episodes I ever saw was anything that had to do with basketball and/or the NBA). Then Steve Nash starts talking about when he was just 6 years old back in 1980 when a young man who was running across Canada on one leg became one of Canada's national heroes.

Here's the summary from ESPN.com

In 1980, Terry Fox continued his fight against bone cancer with the pursuit of a singular, motivating vision: to run across Canada. Three years after having his right leg amputated six inches above the knee after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, Fox set out to cover more than a marathon’s distance each day until he reached the shores of Victoria, British Columbia. Anonymous at the start of his journey, Fox steadily captured the heart of a nation with his Marathon of Hope.  However the 21-year old BC native's goal was not fame, but to spread awareness and raise funds for cancer research. After 143 days and two-thirds of the way across Canada, with the eyes of a country watching, Fox’s journey came to an abrupt end when newly discovered tumors took over his body. Two-time NBA MVP, proud Canadian, and first-time filmmaker Steve Nash will share Fox’s incredible story of perseverance and hope.

I won't dig into it any further; all I'm gonna say is go watch it. It's very inspiring and tear-jerky. I'm telling you. You need to see it. It'll make you realize how everyone is going through something in their lives but the real problem is: how you're going to face it. How are you going to handle every single hardship that comes your way. Terry Fox, needless to say, handled it like a hero.