After being paralyzed in a car accident, Rick Hansen had a dream to make the world more accessible and inclusive and to find a cure for spinal cord injury. His "man in motion tour" spanned 34 countries and covered over 40,000 kilometers.
25 years ago, when Rick Hansen started his original journey, he never imagined it would become what it has today. ”The whole journey, the whole experience of the tour, profoundly changed my view and my life from a mission that was going to take two years, to a life mission of trying to find a cure for spinal cord injury, trying to make communities accessible and to make a difference to make the world healthier and more inclusive for everyone.
And making the journey a quarter of a century later, he is happy to return to Canada. “Absolutely a dream come true because celebrating the 25th Anniversary is a chance to come back and say thank you to so many Canadians, who were there on the original man in motion tour and encouraged me as I made my way back across the country on the home stretch.”
During the relay the 25th Anniversary Medal was passed to people who are making a difference in there community. One medal-bearer and CEO of SARCAN Recycling, Amy McNeil says, “Rick Hansen has been an inspiration to me ever since I was a teenager, when I first saw him run. I just believe in the cause that he is bringing forward and that people of all abilities absolutely have opportunities everywhere.”
McNeil also says Rick leaves a lasting impression. ”The energy that follows rick and that he invokes in people is just something I wanted to be a part of.”
Rick says the 25th Anniversary isn’t just about what we've done. It is about where we are going as a province, as a country, and how we can work together to make a difference in the world and find a cure for spinal cord injury.
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