Hansen continues to spread message of hope
On Monday, his fourth and final day in Calgary, Rick Hansen proved again that his greatest strength is his ability to connect with people.
Whether it was the runners participating in the Man in Motion’s 25th Anniversary Relay, the children in wheelchairs at the Alberta Children’s Hospital who came to hear him speak, or the close to 2,000 students from Branton Junior High School who lined the street to greet the relay as at it went by, Calgarians responded with enthusiasm to Hansen and his exuberant message of hope.
“He’s such an inspiring man. It’s just mind-boggling,” said Makrina Morozowski, who proudly bore the silver Rick Hansen Relay Medal into the Alberta Children’s Hospital Rehab Centre on Monday morning.
Morozowski, who is disabled, was selected for the honour because of her volunteer work with camps for special needs children.
“Just to think that this is nation- wide, that it’s going across the country — it’s amazing.”
At Dr. Gordon Townsend School, within the children’s hospital, Hansen told his story. Paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a car accident when he was 15, Hansen said he now thinks of himself as “one of the luckiest people on the planet.”
He said he has realized it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do with it that counts.
For 13-year-old Brent Headon and his mother, Trudy, those words resonated. Brent, who is in a wheelchair as a result of a hockey injury he sustained 31/2 months ago, is studying at Dr. Gordon Townsend School while he continues to work toward his recovery.
The family is from Grande Prairie, so Trudy is staying at the Ronald Mcdonald House while her son undergoes treatment.
“This is really special,” Trudy said after Hansen’s presentation. “When he (Brent) hears Hansen say, ‘Anything is possible,’ it gives him hope.
“It’s really cool,” Brent said with a smile.
“I think for our kids here, whether they’ve been in an accident or have just gone through surgery, it helps them to look at Rick Hansen and think ‘He survived this,’ ” said principal Shelagh Reading. “It’s just a super opportunity for the school.”
For his part, Hansen said he has been humbled by the outpouring of support he has received so far during the 25th anniversary relay.
The relay, which started Aug. 24, in Cape Spear, N.L., commemorates the original Man in Motion Tour, which raised awareness and funds for spinal cord research.
“It’s overwhelming,” Hansen told the Herald. “To think that 25 years later our journey continues to unfold, and seems as relevant to today’s young people as it was 25 years ago.”
Before leaving Calgary, Hansen also did a special segment of the relay on ice at the Olympic Oval, where he was joined by Olympic champion speedskater Christine Nesbitt.
The Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay left the city for Airdrie on Monday afternoon.
It will continue to Red Deer and Edmonton this week, then through the B.C. Interior, ending in Vancouver May 22 — which will be 25 years to the day after the original Man in Motion Tour ended in Vancouver.