Rick Hansen Celebration in Toronto

Rick Hansen and I in 1997

This past Saturday (November 5) I attended a celebration honouring Rick Hansen and the 25^th anniversary of the Canadian leg of his Man in Motion World Tour at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. Some of you outside of Canada may know that Hansen went around the world in his wheelchair to raise money for spinal cord injury (SCI) research between 1985 and 1987.

I remember attending a ceremony for him 25 years ago this week at Toronto’s City Hall when he made his tour stop in Toronto. This was my first time seeing him live, and I remember being invited to present him with a plaque commemorating his arrival in Toronto. I ended up presenting it to his girlfriend (now wife) Amanda instead, because he decided to rest in his trailer. It had been a long journey for him, and I’m sure he needed the rest.

It would be another 11 years before I would actually meet him. In April 1997, to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the conclusion of his two-year tour, the Governor General honoured him in Ottawa. Following the ceremony, held at the Governor General’s residence, I got to meet Hansen. I was invited to the event when I was a student at Carleton University. It was during this event that I met Romeo LeBlanc, the Governor General at the time. (For you outsiders, the Governor General is the federal vice-regal representative appointed by Queen Elizabeth II.)

Hansen, who became paralyzed from the waist down in 1973, has been a tireless advocate for SCI research and for a more inclusive society for people with disabilities. The disability community was well-represented on Saturday afternoon, led by Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, David Onley. As part of the anniversary tour, Hansen has started a new initiative awarding silver medals as a way of recognizing the personal achievements of other people with disabilities across Canada. Hansen's anniversary tour concludes when he returns to his native Vancouver, British Columbia, in May 2012.

You can learn more about Rick Hansen and his work today at www.rickhansen.com.