Rick Hansen

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My hero is Rick Hansen. Rick Hansen lives in BC Canada. Rick is paralyzed from the waist down. He rode around the world raising money so kids, teens and adults don't have to go through what Rick went through. I think Rick is a kind and friendly man who inspires me a lot.

Rick Hansen wouldn't have been the hero he is today if that big accident didn't happen. When Rick was about fifteen he and his two friends went on a one week fishing trip. After the fishing trip they caught a ride in the back of a rusty old truck but a curve flipped the truck over and Rick got pushed over on the hard tool box that the man had. Rick was rushed down to the hospital where they found out that he was paralyzed from the waist down because of a spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injuries are when you break a part of your back and you're paralyzed from the waist down or the neck down. If you break your back it doesn't necessarily mean that you have a spinal cord injury. A spinal cord injury is when you break a bone near the spinal cord and the cord has to be injured itself too. Some people don't recover like Rick but some people recover because it depends on where it hits. In the case of Rick, it hit him in a bad place. For anyone who is lucky enough to have a less severe injury, it takes a long time to recover. It takes a lot of time and help if you can get it.

When Rick was paralyzed he learned to walk with crutches but then he realized that a wheelchair would be better. Then he learned to do wheelies! He became a pro at what he did. He went into basketball and he went into the Paralympics. When Rick was older he went around the world raising 178 million dollars to try to find a cure for spinal cord injures. This tour was known as "The Man In Motion" tour. If I did this I would say, "Oh I can't do this." Rick really inspires me because he has a lot of courage and perseverance and he's a good leader.

After the Man in Motion Tour, the Rick Hansen Foundation has raised sixty three million dollars so far. Rick works with Dr. John Steeves [who is a excellent researcher]and they both started Icord [spinal research center in Vancouver]. It helps because it lets scientists work together to try to find a cure and they are already making a difference.

Rick Hansen is just a great and heroic man. He inspires a lot of people and one day I hope to meet Rick. When I read Rick's story I just felt so bad for him and that's what inspired me so much because he just kept going! He is just an amazing guy.