Itâs been 30 years since Rick Hansenâs riveting journey -- one that spanned 40,000 kilometres and 34 countries over the course of two years -- during which he raised $26 million for spinal cord research.
The Canadian Paralympianâs latest book, âMan in Motionâ details his journey and celebrates strength, courage, and community.
Hansen spoke with CTV National News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme to talk about his renowned Man in Motion tour and the social and political progress made in building a more accessible world.
LaFlamme: I canât believe itâs 30 years, can you?
Hansen: Hard to believe, Lisa. Itâs gone by so fast, and yet looking back itâs still such a special memory, and itâs actually a little bit of a different perspective as well and thatâs why we decided to do this book is to pay tribute to the amazing team and the power of community to help a young kid from Williams Lake or anyone who has a dream.
See for us, people like me and most people watching this, it was about being on a curb in some city or town across this country and cheering you on, but the book conveys the hell that unfolded -- how many times you wanted to quit because of the wind and the rain and the struggle.
Yeah there were some really dark times. You know, you have this dream of how itâs going to be and then off you go, and then the first brick wall hits you like, all of a sudden the winds are in your face, and itâs zero degrees and raining, and youâre injured with tendonitis and you can barely think of the end of the day, let alone the tour. Then comes just in front of you the Siskiyou Mountain range, which is a 5,000-foot summit and you need desperate help and in comes the cavalry and Amanda, the physiotherapist, who changed the outcome of the tour and, of course, my life, becoming my wife.
The Amanda story is so beautiful -- that this is the woman who was your physiotherapist when you were an athlete, a wheelchair athlete. People may not remember though, and I want you to take us back to the 15-year-old boy and the day this all started.
I was hitchhiking home from a fishing trip -- wide-eyed, bushy-tail, filled with optimism, wanted to represent my country one day at the Olympic games, hopefully. I got a ride in the back of a pick-up truck and the guy crashed and rolled over, shattered my spine, damaged my spinal cord, and I was told Iâd never walk again.
Would that boy have ever envisioned the man today, and what youâve accomplished?
You know Lisa, I probably wouldâve sold my soul for the use of my legs. I thought my whole life had been washed up, hopes and dreams shattered, and couldnât see anything except loss, despair. Really, I had all these built-in, intrinsic biases about what it was like to have a disability, and so I thought it was about something and someone to be pitied, no hope or possibilities to lead a meaningful life. So I needed to literally start from ground zero, and needed role models to come in to show me the way, I needed family, friends, and community to support me during tough times. I realized that ultimately itâs not what happens to you, itâs what you do with it that counts. And nowhere in the definition of being an athlete does it say you have to use your legs in order to be one.
We are all blessed this week in Toronto to be watching exactly that unfold, with the wounded warriors and Invictus Games, and I know youâre an ambassador for the games, but you are also a role model for all those men and women competing this week.
Well it comes full circle because as a kid, the Paralympic sport movement was actually formed by returning veterans from WWII, and it gave me this hope and possibility. Now Iâm able to come back and to encourage that next generation of service men and women whoâve paid the ultimate price and encourage them to keep going, and theyâre encouraging each other, and theyâre also pushing forward on social change and thatâs the spirit that you love to see. And itâs what my mission is for my whole life, which is to help people see that when barriers are removed, anything is possible.
I canât help but think when we watch these athletes from around the world coming to Invictus Games, airports today, pretty much everywhere, there is wheelchair accessibility. But for youâ
When we started, yeah, the world was very large, disconnected, and inaccessible. And that was the reason why I started the Man in Motion tour. As a Paralympic athlete, everything was a struggle: the attitude of others; the physical barriers; taxis wouldnât stop for you; you could barely get into an airplane if you were lucky; Hotels? Forget it â gymnasiums or tracks. And so, expressing that with my colleagues, we had this level of frustration but rather than complain about it, it was like, well do something about it. And pay it forward. Take your talent, get a dream, do something that would make a difference. And thatâs how the Man in Motion tour was formed and it was a naive attempt to create a movement but at least we did our best to make a baby step forward. Yeah, weâre really proud of the community thatâs continued since the end of the tour to keep pushing forward one change at a time and when an airport is accessible for the next generation, you feel a sense of motivation and accomplishment that weâre getting there.
I know that for you growing up in Williams Lake, you were the only kid in a wheelchair. Today, you look at our population now, the aging Baby Boomers, it is very familiar -- one in seven, or something like that.
Thatâs right, well over 4 million adults with disabilities, and by 2035 itâll be one in five with aging Boomers., and itâs not just people in wheelchairs. Itâs people with varying disabilities â visual, hearing, mobility -- those invisible disabilities that you canât see but are equally or even more devastating. And what we need to do is reframe our view of what we think accessibility for all is -- maybe even our symbols of disability are no longer the stick man in a wheelchair -- a person in motion that anyone could be expressive if barriers were removed. Thatâs the evolution thatâs taking place. And I think that with that comes more attention, more responsibility, because itâs not just a charitable issue or a human rights issue, itâs an economic and cultural imperative, and Canada has to stay sustainable and we need everybody on board playing their role, doing their part.
And politically, where do you think we are in this country as far as measuring up in change.
You know thatâs the key, isnât it? I mean, we have great words, beautiful words in our constitution -- the most progressive constitution in the world about including people with disabilities as equals. But weâre relatively light in translating that to bedrock legislation and law as a social safety net.
Where does it fall short?
It fell short because what you donât see is, you donât see every province in the country with progressive legislation. Every municipality anchored, every element of the federal government -- although the good news is, the federal government is committed to bring that forward this year. This year, thatâs 35 years post the declaration of our constitution. So, we need that in place, so that thereâs that security that this is the cost of the values that we state, and they have meaning. And then, we canât be caught in todayâs minimum standards because they become tomorrowâs handicaps. So letâs drive forward. And measuring up, allows us to make a statement like this: âIn 30 years, Canada will be completely accessible.â So letâs measure up and find out objectively where we are, and then letâs drive forward and incent the whole nation to be able to do that. And the minimal cost of doing that will be completely offset by the amazing infusion of capacity financial, cultural, and human wealth. And so, thatâs my vision.
You are absolutely the man we know from the last 30 years, you are the man to carry that message forward, and I thank you so much for joining us today. Itâs always an honour.