Like Terry Fox before him, Rick Hansen is widely regarded as a Canadian hero. An accomplished athlete as a youth, Hansen was rendered a quadrapeligic in a motor vehicle accident when he was 15.
Confined to a wheelchair, he represented Canada at the 1980 and 1984 Summer Paralympics. Inspired by Fox’s example, Hansen decided to set off on a Man in Motion World Tour in 1985 to raise funds and promote awareness for spinal cord research. The tour took him to 34 countries on four continents, and ended in his native B.C. in May 1987.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of his tour, a special relay is being held. The relay stops in Regina today, and a reception is being held at City Square by Victoria Park at 3 p.m.
For more information visit: http://www.rickhansenrelay.com/en/ and here’s a link to a video from 2009 where Hansen talks about the upcoming start of the anniversary tour which began after the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics.
