On April 12, 1980 Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope at the Atlantic coast outside St. John's, Newfoundland. Five months later, on September 1, Fox's deteriorating condition forced him to end his journey just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario.

He had travelled more than 5,000 kilometres, and raised more than $24 million, in the name of cancer research.

Today, his dream lives on with annual fundraising runs all over the world. But nowhere is his indomitable spirit more powerful than his hometown of Port Coquitlam, B.C., where Fox's family and friends gathered Sunday morning to remember the inspirational Canadian icon.

"People are here to help cure cancer, and they're here to keep Terry's dream alive," Fox's fellow Canadian activist Rick Hansen told CTV News. "And they're here to show one person can make a difference."

And no person has fought harder at keeping Fox's dream alive than his mother, Betty.

"It's great. It's sad. It's mixed emotions," she said. "That's about all I can say."

Both Betty Fox and Rick Hansen have been touted as fitting candidates to be the final torch bearer at the 2010 Olympic Games. Some say it's a way for Fox to finish the marathon her son did not.

"It's a very wonderful honour for me to think that people across Canada feel that way," Fox said. "Hell, if I had to run up stairs I'd probably roll down."

Hansen, if chosen, would be the first person in a wheelchair to do it.

"To me it's a great symbol of an accessible and inclusive world, and the progress we've made in the 25 years since I've left on the Man in Motion tour," he said.

But on Sunday, both were focused on Terry. Over the past 29 years, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised $500 million for cancer research - and with only 30 employees across Canada. The rest of the work is done by volunteers.

Yet there is still no cure. Despite the great strides taken - there is still a long way to go.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Norma Reid