Terry Fox book by  Douglas Coupland featured for CBC Radio One Book Club

The Terry Book Club
will air on North by Northwest on CBC Radio One.

Part One: Sat., April 30, 7 – 8 a.m.
Part Two: Sun., May 1, 8 – 9 a.m.

It was with both excitement and concern that host
Sheryl Mackay said she anticipated the presentation of “Terry” by
Douglas Coupland as the April 21st selection for the CBC Radio One Book
Card.

“You just can't get through it without crying,” said
Mackay.  And true to her prediction, many people spoke emotionally
about the love for Terry Fox, or about their own challenges with
cancer, or about how cancer challenged their loved ones.

Mackay was joined by co-host John Burns from the
Georgia Straight, in welcoming both author Douglas Coupland, and the
younger brother of Terry Fox – Darrell Fox, who is now National
Director of the Terry Fox Run Foundation.

I will write more about the experience of being in
the emotionally and memory-charged room, but first I will post some of
the pictures from the event.

Author Douglas Coupland and family consultant Darrell Fox – who both
signed all the books. Douglas describes the Fox family as Canada's
“First Family.”  Darrell says that Douglas is a member of the
family now.” So does that mean that Coupland is a member of “Canada's
First Family”?

Todd Wong standing with Sheryl Mackay, host of CBC
Radio's North By North West & the CBC Radio One Book
Club.  Sheryl is a warm and congenial host always.  It was a
pleasure to be a guest on her show in January as we talked about my
role with the Reverend Chan Legacy project that was being presented at
the Chinese Canadian History Fair at the Vancouver Museum.

Todd Wong with Douglas Coupland and Darrell Fox, at the CBC Radio
One Book Club for “Terry” – April 21st, 2005.  It was Darrell Fox
who asked me to become a Terry's Team member in 1993.

“What is a Terry's Team member,” asked Sheryl.

“Cancer survivors who speak at Terry Fox Runs and for school visits,
who serve as living examples that cancer reseach has helped to make a
difference.

For my own cancer diagnois in 1989, I was given of a 60% survival
rate.  At the time of Terry's Run in 1980, the survival rate was
about 50%, but by 1989 they were shooting for 100% survival rate. 
My case was extremely advanced and without treatment I would have died
in two weeks.

CBC Radio Host Sheryl Mackay, Douglas Coupland, Darrell Fox and John Burns 

32 Books: Leslie & owner Mary Trentadue.  My favourite
independent book store on the North Shore – where I actually
bought my copy of “Terry” soon after it came out.