Paralympian emulates Terry Fox in cross-country outdoor skate

While his own story is an inspiration, Canadian Paralympian Tyler McGregor looks to the legacy of Terry Fox for personal motivation.

McGregor, a native of Forest, Ont., shares many aspects of life with the legendary Canadian.

Just like Fox, Tyler’s life took a dramatic turn while still a teenager.

A junior hockey prospect in his OHL draft year, Tyler was playing in a tournament when he began feeling pain in his shin.

During a game, he broke two bones in his leg.

While recovering from surgery, doctors at London’s Victoria Hospital made an alarming discovery — Tyler had an aggressive form of bone cancer.

“Within weeks, I found out that in order to save my life they had to amputate my leg,” said McGregor.

It turned out the cancer, spindle cell sarcoma, was similar to the type that took Terry Fox’s leg before the Marathon of Hope.

Tyler McGregor is seen during rehabilitation following his leg amputation caused by bone cancer in this undated photo. (Source: Submitted)Devastated by his diagnosis, it would be many years before McGregor would be motivated to raise funds for cancer research, just like Terry.

He first needed inspiration and it came from the sport of sledge hockey.

Over the past decade, McGregor has advanced from learning the sport to becoming a two-time Paralympic medalist and multiple para hockey medal-winning world champion.

His sporting achievements elevated his spirit, yet he kept looking for ways to continue the legacy cancer prevented Terry from completing.

During the pandemic it came to him. A combination of his love of skating with his mission to fund cancer research.

“You know, I knew I wanted to give back to the Terry Fox Foundation and honour his legacy. And then I wanted to align it with another one of my passions, that being hockey,” said McGregor.

Following a small event in 2021 in Collingwood which raised $31,000, Tyler has begun ‘The Sledge Skate of Hope.'

Weather permitting, it will be completed on outdoor skating tracks.

Tyler McGregor (Source: Submitted)“In each of the 10 provinces, I am going to skate 42 kilometres, so the length of a marathon, which is what Terry did every single day, which is incredible to think about.”

The Sledge Skate of Hope began in Halifax this week and will resume later this month in Calgary.

McGregor’s Ontario stop will be on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal on Jan. 28.

He hopes to celebrate in Forest or London after the conclusion of the skate in Winnipeg on Feb. 11.

Tyler is hoping to raise $100,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.

But just like Terry’s run, he hopes the support provided by Canadians will build as he crosses the country.

“In addition, to raise money and awareness, something Terry did so tremendously well, was to unify the country and hopefully through this Sledge Skate of Hope, I’m able to do the same,” McGregor concluded.