CELEBRITY
Ryan Reynolds’ Terry Fox t-shirt pre-sales skyrocket
The ‘Free Guy’ actor designed a t-shirt to promote the annual Terry Fox run, a marathon that raises money for cancer in memory of the Canadian icon.
Ryan Reynolds designed a t-shirt to promote the Terry Fox Run, an annual marathon where people across Canada embark on a marathon run in September. People run or walk between five or 15 kilometers, all with the purpose of raising awareness and money for cancer research in memory of the late great Terry Fox.
Reynolds partnered with the Terry Fox Foundation and designed a t-shirt to honor the Canadian legend. The father of four posted a photo of himself in the shirt to Twitter with the Terry Fox Run hashtag, #DearTerry, and since then demand for the t-shirt has skyrocketed. The foundation has opened pre-sales to accommodate the flood of requests.
The 2023 Terry Fox Run is September 17, with registration opening April 12 — the day Terry Fox began running across Canada with an artificial leg on that memorable day in 1980.
What does the #DearTerry shirt look like?
Ryan Reynolds posted a photo of himself to Twitter wearing the shirt he had designed on Sunday February 18.
The royal blue text on the shirt reads “Dear Terry” in English and French. A black and white sketch of Fox overlays the words, with the only color being the bright Canada shirt the legend wore during his epic run. Letters people wrote to Fox during that time have been copied and printed on the back.
“Happy to be involved with the #DearTerry initiative for @TerryFoxCanada,” Reynold wrote in the caption. “I’ve been taking part in the Terry Fox Run since second grade and can’t think of a more enduring and lovely legacy for one person. Terry Fox inspired millions in life and death.”
Presales high in demand
The next day, demand was so high that the Terry Fox Foundation responded by accepting presales.
“Ok, we heard you!” the Terry Fox Foundation wrote in a Twitter post. “Due to overwhelming demand, our first-ever PRE-SALE is now live! Pre-order your #TerryFoxRun shirt now.”
The foundation’s vice-president Denise Dias said that by Monday morning, over 6300 t-shirts were sold, with “overwhelming interest and support.”
People can buy the t-shirts on presale by going to the Terry Fox Foundation website.
Ryan Reynolds responded to the high interest in the Terry Fox shirt by reposting the foundation’s announcement on his own Twitter account.
“Love this,” the Vancouver-born actor wrote. “So much demand for this shirt benefitting @TerryFoxCanada.”
“Amazing organization inspired by 🇨🇦 hero, Terry Fox. #DearTerry.”
Who was Terry Fox?
Terry Fox lost a leg to osteogenic sarcoma cancer at age 18, after a year and a half of arduous cancer treatments.
Not being able to stand the suffering of all the people he encountered battling with the disease, Fox decided something had to be done to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
With a prosthetic leg replacement, Fox set off on a Marathon of Hope and ran across Canada. Terry Fox began his long journey April 12, 1980 and ran 5373 kilometers over 143 days.
On September 1, Terry Fox stopped running in Thunder Bay, Ontario, as the cancer had spread to his lungs.
Terry Fox passed away June 28, 1981 at the age 22.
Since then, people all across Canada take part in the Terry Fox Run to honor the Canadian icon’s commitment to curing cancer by running across the great white north to raise awareness and money.