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Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild.

Our world is full of the unexplainable.

And if history is an open book, All of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

Terry was one of those kids who just wouldn't quit.

Growing up on Canada's west coast, he was an athlete almost from day one.

Terry wasn't the tallest one on the court or the fastest on the track, but when it came to determination, No one had him beat.

Terry loved sports, and he tried his hand at everything too.

Soccer, rugby, diving, and cross-country.

Basketball was his favorite, but he wasn't picky.

If it got his blood pumping, he was all in.

And his coaches loved him because he always gave 110%,

even in practice.

And that drive paid off.

Soon after starting college at Simon Fraser University, he walked on to the JV basketball team.

He was on his way to making varsity when he got the diagnosis that changed his life.

osteogenic sarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

Terry was just 18 years old when he learned that he had the disease.

One minute he was playing basketball with his friends, and the next he was facing chemotherapy and hospital beds.

But Terry had never given up before, and he wasn't starting now.

Through months of harsh treatments and grueling physical therapy, he kept his spirits high, joking with nurses and comforting other patients around him.

But inwardly, he grew frustrated.

Terry was deeply affected by the young children he met in the cancer ward, many of whom had terminal diagnoses.

And as he learned more about the state of cancer research, he was stunned by how little money was being put toward the cure.

So, as his own treatment drew to an end, Terry came up with a plan to fight the disease, not just for himself, but for everyone.

In 1980, he announced that he would run across Canada from the Atlantic Ocean in St.

John's, Newfoundland, all the way to the Pacific.

He called it the Marathon of Hope, and his goal was to raise $24 million for cancer research, $1 for every Canadian.

He started out quietly in April, taking a symbolic dip in the Atlantic, and then he ran, along highways and unpaved backroads, through wind, rain, blistering heat, and even a snowstorm.

He ate donated meals and he slept in a cramped camper van driven by a friend.

But word started to spread.

The Canadian news picked up the story, and pretty soon cheering crowds were waiting for him at each new city on his route.

As the donations poured in, Terry pressed on, day after day, mile after mile, from Nova Scotia through Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and finally Ontario.

By the time he reached Toronto, tens of thousands were cheering him on.

But on September 1st, after 143 days and over 3,000 miles, something was wrong.

Terry began to feel a pain deep in his chest.

As he neared Thunder Bay, Ontario, he collapsed.

He was rushed into the hospital where doctors delivered the crushing news.

The cancer was back, and this time, it had spread to his lungs.

With his condition rapidly worsening, there was no chance of finishing the run.

The fans who had followed Terry's journey were devastated.

The marathon of hope was over.

And just nine months later, Terry passed away.

He was just 22 years old.

But that's not the end.

His determination and grit ensured that his story would continue to spread.

Today, his name lives on in schools, streets, parks, monuments, and even one mountain.

Not to mention the hearts of people who take part in the Terry Fox Run, a global event that continues to raise millions for cancer research every year.

To date, over $800 million has been raised in Terry's name.

But his legacy can't just be judged in money.

His marathon of hope became a model for large-scale charity runs, creating a blueprint for organizers to build attention and resources for all kinds of important causes.

And that's not even the most incredible part.

You see, when Terry Fox Fox was first diagnosed with cancer back in 1977, the doctors had to amputate his right leg above the knee, which means that he crossed most of Canada on a heavy, old-fashioned prosthetic leg that wasn't even made for running.

That's right.

For almost five months, he ran the equivalent of a marathon every single day, and he did it on one leg.

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Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees.

Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy.

It's pretty much all he talks about.

In a good way.

He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too.

Aw, really?

Thanks, Capital One Bank Guy.

What's in your wallet?

Terms apply.

See capital1.com slash bank.

Capital One NA member FDIC.

It was April 21st of 1951, and for the fifth time that week, the game was going into overtime.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens have been scraping hard for four long games, all to win the legendary Stanley Cup.

And it seemed like all that blood, sweat, and fancy skating would come down to this, the final point in the final game.

As the players fought for that little black puck, one of them surged toward it, a 24-year-old forward named Bashan Bill Barilco.

Sliding across the ice in Maple Leaf Blue, Borilco dove through the air, aimed for the puck, and slammed it into the goal.

The series was over, and Toronto had won.

The team and Bill were no stranger to championships.

In fact, they had won the Stanley Cup three times in the previous four seasons.

But as they celebrated, they didn't know that this would be their last Stanley Cup win for nearly a decade.

And as for Berilco, it would be his last goal ever.

Just a few weeks later, on Friday, August 25th of 1951, Bill left for a trip with his dentist and close friend Henry Hudson.

The two of them took off in Henry's small plane, planning to spend a few days fishing in the wilds of Ontario.

According to Bill's mother, Faye Berilco, she warned him not to go.

His father had died on a Friday five years earlier, and she had a bad feeling about that day.

But Bill just reassured her that he would be fine.

Bill and Henry never returned.

The search went on for weeks, but nothing was ever found.

There was no wreckage, no black box, no sign of them.

It was as if the plane had just vanished into thin air.

Bill and Henry had gone missing and were presumed dead.

And as the shock wore on, a strange cloud seemed to settle over Bill's team.

Because after 1951, the Leafs' winning streak just stopped.

The team that was once a champion dynasty couldn't seem to stop losing.

Great players came and went, but the Stanley Cup remained out of reach.

It wasn't until 1962, 11 years later, that something changed.

That summer, a helicopter pilot flying over a remote part of northern Ontario spotted something unusual in the brush.

When investigators arrived, they found the wreckage of a small plane, and inside the remains of Bill Berilco and Henry Hudson.

The missing Maple Leaf had finally been found.

Bill was buried in his hometown in Timmins, Ontario, and finally it seemed like the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans would have closure.

But the same year Bill was laid to rest, something strange happened.

The Maple Leafs started to win again.

11 years after Berilco's game-winning goal, the Leafs won the cup, and they kept on winning.

In the next six seasons, they took the Stanley Cup home four separate times.

It was amazing.

11 years of losing, and the same year the mystery of Berilco's disappearance was solved, the streak ended.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

But in the world of hockey, it quickly became a legend, or maybe a curse.

People said the team couldn't win again until Berilco came home, and once he did, it was as if the weight had finally been lifted.

Well, at least for a little while.

Since 1967, the Toronto Maple Leafs have never again brought home home the Stanley Cup.

At 48 seasons, it's now the longest championship drought in the history of professional hockey.

Even so, Bill Berilco's legend has never faded.

His jersey, number five, was retired and it currently hangs in Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.

And in 1993, Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip immortalized him to a new generation of Leafs fans.

Their song, 50 Mission Cap, plays every Leafs game as the players warm up.

And as it does, Bill Berilco comes back to the team that he once led to victory, even if only in spirit.

Bill Berilco was just 24 when he left his mark on Canadian hockey history, and he played only five seasons in total in the NHL.

But over 70 years later, his presence is still felt right there on the ice.

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities.

Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting CuriositiesPodcast.com.

The show was created by me, Aaron Mankey, in partnership with How Stuff Works.

I make another award-winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show.

And you can learn all about it over at theworldoflore.com.

And until next time, stay curious.

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