Rick Hansen: Improving Life for People with Disabilities
On the Move Everyone has their own idea of what makes a person remarkable A remarkable person may have qualities you admire They may be someone that inspires you or that you look up to A person's story can be shared through a biography We can learn a lot from the biographies of others As you read about the story of Rick Hansen think about the qualities he has that have helped make his achievements possible and why So many people describe him as remarkable I try to encourage people to never give up on their dreams and to look at what you can do not what you can't do Rick Hansen www rickhansen com 99 N Rick persevered through pain and harsh environments on his tour around the V world to bring awareness to the limitless abilities of people who have
Man in Motion After becoming a paraplegic due to an accident Rick Hansen dedicated his life to proving the potential of people with disabilities He is best known as the Man in Motion for his famous two year wheelchair trip around the world Wheeling close to 25 000 miles 40 000 kilometers through 34 countries Rick raised millions of dollars for research to find a cure for paralysis from spinal cord injury His perseverance and determination inspired countless people with disabilities to accomplish their dreams 2 THINK ABOUT IT Is there someone in your life that you find remarkable What qualities do they have that you find remarkable B What is a biography A biography is a description of a person s life Biographies help us understand how others experienced events and how their lives have influenced and affected other people Biographies can be based on many sources of information Primary sources include a persons own words or pictures Secondary sources include stories from friends family media and
Early Childhood Rick Hansen was born in Port Alberni British Columbia Canada on August 26 1957 to Joan and Marvin Hansen He and his three younger siblings Brad Cindy and Christine grew up in Williams Lake British Columbia As a child Rick was a natural athlete and enjoyed playing basketball volleyball and rugby He had always dreamed of one day participating in the Olympic Games He loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time fishing with family and friends METEOillion if I WILLIAMS LAKE
Tragedy strikes While in high school Rick was in an accident that would change his life forever On June 27 1973 he and his friend Don Adler were riding in the back of a pickup truck on their way home from a week long fishing trip As the truck drove along a steep winding road it went out of control and crashed Don and Rick were thrown from the truck The crash left Rick with a broken back and severed spinal cord He couldn't feel or move his legs The doctors told Rick that he was now paralyzed from the waist down and that he would never walk again He was just 15 years old A Sudden Blow Riek was devastated by his sudden fate to live the rest of his life as a paraplegic He had to now use a wheelchair to get around which made him feel that he wasnt the same person that he was before his injury He was afraid that people would now treat him differently and he didnt want to feel dependent on others SOSE F Williams Lake is a city located in the interior of British Columbia The city itself has a population of just over 11 000
