Rick Hansen – Man In Motion

Paralyzed From Waist Below, Won Six National Titles – What’s Your EXCUSE?

Rick Hansen – THE EARLY YEARS

Rick Hansen was born August 26th, 1957 in Port Alberni. A natural athlete, he was very passionate about fishing and sports.

One day in August 1973, Rick and his friend Don Alder were riding in the back of a pickup truck, returning home from a week-long fishing trip. The truck went off the steep, winding road, and Rick and Don were thrown out of the back. Rick sustained a spinal cord injury and would never walk again. He was paralyzed from the waist down.

After seven months, Rick returned home from rehabilitation in Vancouver. Slowly, he learned how to deal with his new life, found a way to keep fishing, and with the encouragement of his volleyball coach, stayed involved in sports. He discovered wheelchair basketball and other sports, set new goals for his life…and began to make new dreams.

AN INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED ATHLETIC CAREER

He was recruited by coach and mentor, Stan Stronge from the Vancouver Cablecars wheelchair basketball team. Stan was a pioneer in Canadian wheelchair basketball who lead the BC team to win six national championships between 1976 and 1982.
In 1976, Rick enrolled at the University of British Columbia, and was the first person with a disability to graduate with a Degree in Physical Education.
Between 1979 and 1984, Rick turned his focus to track, winning nineteen international wheelchair marathons, the world title four times and nine gold medals at the 1982 Pan Am Games
Rick has inspired athletes of all abilities, and continues to have a far-reaching impact on the world of sport. He chaired the Commission for the Inclusion of Athletes with Disabilities, successful in creating full medal status for Commonwealth Games athletes and was named “Athlete of the Century,” by British Columbia Wheelchair Sports.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS

While Rick was a celebrated international athlete, he was also committed to making a difference in the lives of others. Combining his passions, athletic ability and vision, he pushed his wheelchair out of Vancouver, BC, on March 21, 1985, to set out on a journey that would make history.
The Man In Motion World Tour was fueled by two big dreams: to raise funds for spinal cord injury research and to make communities more accessible and inclusive. Every day, Rick completed the equivalent of three marathons – through all kinds of terrain, in all kinds of weather.

Despite all of the challenges, Rick and the team persevered with resourcefulness and grit. The journey took them through 34 countries: they crossed the United States, wheeled through Britain and Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, Australia, and the Far East before returning to North America, going from Miami to New York, then back to Canada.

THE MAN IN MOTION WORLD TOUR RETURNS HOME

In August 1986, Rick and the team arrived back on Canadian soil, in Cape Spear, Newfoundland.
On May 22, 1987, thousands of people lined the streets to welcome Rick and the team home. The Tour raised $26 million for spinal cord injury research, rehabilitation and sport. It was a catalyst for enormous change in the way people with a disability were perceived, in the realization that public buildings, streets and playgrounds could be more accessible, and in the belief of the potential that lies in the human spirit.

THE END WAS JUST THE BEGINNING

Upon completion of the Man In Motion World Tour, Rick realized that his work had just begun. In 1988, He established the Rick Hansen Foundation and today, as President and CEO, remains committed to making communities more accessible and inclusive for people with a spinal cord injury (SCI), and accelerating the search for a cure. Through Rick’s leadership, the Foundation has generated more than $200 million for spinal cord injury related programs and initiatives.

AN INSPIRATION TO YOUTH

Understanding the significance of the support and mentorship he has received throughout his life, Rick is committed to working with young people to support the development of social responsibility and life skills. He encourages them to be the best that they can be and to believe that anything is possible if they have the courage to try. The Rick Hansen Foundation’s school program promotes self-worth and social awareness through stories, lesson plans and activities inspired by Rick Hansen’s legendary Man in Motion World Tour.

AN ONGOING PASSION FOR BEAUTIFUL BC & A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Rick’s passion for fishing and the outdoors has not diminished, and he gets out on the water as much as possible. To ensure conservation of pacific salmon and the threatened sturgeon species, he formed the Pacific Salmon Endowment Fund Society, which supports the conservation and sustainable use of Pacific salmon stocks; and the Fraser River Sturgeon
Conservation Society, which works to conserve and protect Fraser River white sturgeon and their habitat.

ADDITIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Rick has received the Companion Order of Canada, and the Order of British Columbia; initiated National Access Awareness Week in Canada, was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, is Honourary chair for a number of provincial and national advisory councils on disabilities, and holds twelve honorary degrees from Canadian universities.
In Rick’s words, his greatest achievement is his family. His wife Amanda first came into his life as his physiotherapist when he was a competitive athlete and she remained his physiotherapist throughout the Man In Motion World Tour. Upon completion of the Tour Rick and Amanda were married and they now living in Richmond with their three daughters.

“What’s Your Excuse?…”