Terry Fox could be on the next $5 bill

The Bank of Canada has asked the public for help to decide which Canadian icon should be featured on the $5 bill, and the town of Port Coquitlam, B.C., has started a campaign to support Terry Fox for this tribute.

Fox grew up in Port Coquitlam and he became a Canadian hero when, after a cancer diagnosis and the subsequent amputation of his right leg, he attempted to run across the country to raise money for cancer research in 1980.

RELATED: Who makes Canadians proud? Terry Fox tops the list

Fox was just 22 years old at the time, and although his run (dubbed the Marathon of Hope) was cut short when cancer spread to his lungs, he still made it from St. John’s, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., more than 5,300 kilometres. Not long after he called off the run, Fox lost his battle with cancer, but he inspired Canadians everywhere, and his Marathon of Hope (now the Terry Fox Run) is run annually across the country (and even outside of Canada), raising millions of dollars for cancer research.

Terry Fox Runs in Vietnam are funding a new 5yr multi-national pediatric fellowship to dramatically change the outcomes of children with cancer in that country. To learn more visit: https://t.co/3brsvyHLbg pic.twitter.com/Sv0X8W0NFN

— TerryFoxFoundation (@TerryFoxCanada) January 20, 2020

RELATED: Special Feature: Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope

The Bank of Canada has published an online form where nominations can be submitted before March 11. Port Coquitlam has added a link to the submission form to the city’s website, urging citizens to nominate their local hero for the honour.