‘Man in Motion’ still is inspiring to all

I heard Rick Hansen on CBC Radio the other morning when I climbed into my car. He was a guest on “The Current” with Anna-Maria Tremonti.
When I turned the radio on, before I heard him discuss the rights of the disabled and before Anna-Maria mentioned his name, I knew it was Rick Hansen, recognizing his gentle, kind voice filled with the sound of caring in it–and I was glad to be reunited with Rick as if we were friends from long ago bumping into one another on the street.
I was busy raising a family when Rick began his “Man in Motion” tour in 1985 but I remember being profoundly moved by his determination, inspired by Terry Fox’s vision, that took Rick more than 40,000 km in 34 countries raising $26 million.
His goal was not to raise money but to raise awareness and have people imagine what is possible when barriers are removed. That feat goes beyond being a fierce competitor in life.
It’s more than 30 years since Rick wheeled his way around the world wearing out 160 wheelchair tires. He was thoughtful while speaking on CBC about what he has accomplished. He said he would have traded his soul at age 15 to have the use of his legs back, but he wouldn’t trade the life he has had now and what he has accomplished without those legs of his.
He has watched the world open their communities to a barrier-free existence for its disabled residents and though it isn’t perfect, there has been significant change.
Rick was the first paraplegic student to graduate with a degree in physical education from the University of British Columbia. With his work in wheelchair athletics, he inspired Terry Fox to become involved. Rick was a year older than Terry Fox, and the two of them were grounded with a fierce need to change the world.
Rick has dedicated his life to creating a world that is “accessible and inclusive.” His dream is a world without barriers and a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injuries.
So often we are told what we no longer can do after a life-changing experience. And when we start school, we are told what we must not do–the list usually a long one. In new jobs, we are told what we have done wrong as we ease our way into a new work experience.
Rick Hansen was told he would never walk again and, of course, that’s true. He has not had the use of his legs for 45 years but his list of accomplishments and what he has done far exceeds that one thing that he never let define him.
My favourite episode on the “Rick Mercer Show” was when the two Ricks went bungee-jumping in Whistler, B.C., jumping from a bridge 160 feet above a gorge with a raging river flowing through it.
Rick Mercer went first with quite obvious distress at facing the plunge but he did it. Then Rick Hansen followed and as he dangled from the bungee cord at the bottom, he shouted, “Oh no, I can’t feel my legs.”
Pure genius.
wendistewart@live.ca