Rick Hansen

In 1973, an ambitious man's life changed drastically, as his journey was just beginning. This man has accomplished many things over his lifetime, facing the challenges that came with it. This inspiring man has been to the Olympics, won many awards in track and then later in basketball. Not many people could achieve this in a lifetime and Rick Hansen did it in a wheelchair. Rick Hansen doesn't let his disability limit his way of life and perseveres to do the things he loves.

In the August of 1973, when Rick was 15 years old, he and his friend were returning home from a fishing trip, riding in the back of a pick-up truck. What was an enjoyable ride home from a week long trip soon turned into a severe accident that would change their lives forever. The truck went off the long, winding road, sending both men out the back of the truck. Shortly after, Rick went to the hospital and was later told that he had a spinal cord injury and would never walk again. He was paralyzed from the waist down. After seven months of rehabilitation, Rick finally came home, taking in his new life in a wheelchair; he continued fishing and, surprisingly, stayed involved with sports.

Rick Hansen in his Man in Motion World tour. (http://www.heroinyou.ca/Content/Student)

Rick Hansen didn't let his injury stop him from living his life. After the accident, he set new goals for his life and experienced many accomplishments along the way. In 1976, Rick Hansen was the first person with a disability to earn a degree in Physical Education. Hansen was a true athlete, who influenced many others around him to get active. He won 19 international wheelchair marathons between 1979 and 1984. At which point he also won 9 gold medals and 4 world titles at the Pan Am Games. All of his accomplishment didn't stop him from going into another race, they made him stronger and pushed him harder. He also won a gold and silver at the Paralympics in Holland. He later competed for Canada in the Olympics, breaking the two hour record in an exhibition wheelchair marathon. In the years of 1979, 1980 and 1982, Hansen earned the title of Canada's disabled athlete of the year. He then shared the title of Canada's outstanding athlete of the year with Wayne Gretzky, another Canadian legend. Rick has earned a spot in many Athletic Hall of Fames over the course of his disabled life, including one in Canada, one in British Columbia and another at the University of British Columbia, where he went to school. Rick Hansen has also made it through 34 countries, through bad terrain and weather conditions as part of his Man In Motion world tour.

"The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break." Rick has inspired people all around the world of all ages and abilities, such as myself. He is committed to making a difference in others' lives. Rick Hansen works with children who have disabilities and assists them with their social and life skills. At the Rick Hansen Foundation's school program he helps his students to believe in themselves and that they have the ability to do anything in their reach.

Rick Hansen, a top athlete at heart, looks at others who have his disability and feels that he should do something to help them be cured. His goals were to raise money for Spinal Cord Injury research and to make communities more accessible by people who have disabilities. By going through 34 countries in the Man in Motion world tour he has accomplished just that. Hansen has raised 26 million dollars for the cause and made places like parks and other public buildings more accessible to wheelchairs. Later in 1988, the Rick Hansen Foundation was established, which is a campaign to raise money for people who have spinal cord injury and the search for a cure. Since then, the foundation has raised more than $200 million for the cause.

Rick Hansen is now 51 years old and is living in Richmond, British Columbia with his wife and three daughters. He is still contributing to the Rick Hansen Foundation, trying to find a cure, so that others don't have to live the life that he did. He is inspiring us all by making his dreams come true. Rick Hansen doesn't let his disability limit his way of life and he perseveres to do the things he loves. It is extraordinary that a man in a wheelchair is captured as the man in motion.