Home
Man in Motion
At age 16, before he became B.C.'s most popular citizen, Rick Hansen made one of his first public appearances as a paraplegic on Granville Island. He entered The Keg restaurant on his new crutches and fell onto the floor.
A sympathetic waiter later enquired if Rick would prefer to leave unobserved through a kitchen door. Hansen agreed. Leaving The Keg, he tripped and fell again, this time tumbling headfirst into a garbage can.
Rick Hansen wiped garbage from his face. "So this is how it's going to be," said the former high school athlete-of-the-year.
It's the kind of story that news cameras can never tell. And it's the kind of story that makes Man in Motion (Douglas & McIntyre $19.95) the leading candidate for bestselling B.C. book of the year.
On September 19 at Oakridge, where his Man in Motion tour began, Hansen launched the new book with a record first printing of 65,000 from B.C.'s largest publisher. After four continents, 34 countries, averaging 45,000 wheel strokes daily, burning 271 calories hourly, raising over $20 million, finding love and glory, the man who was once Williams Lake's only wheelchair owner has become an author.
Premier B.C. sportswriter Jim Taylor was chosen by Hansen to help co-write the book. Just as Rick Hansen lost the use of his legs in a traffic accident at age 15 in 1973, Taylor's daughter Teresa became a quadriplegic as the result of a skiing accident in 1976 at age 14.
"Even before Man in Motion began," says Taylor, "I had wanted to write a book about wheelchair athletes. I was going to call it 'Yes, I Can.'" Taylor and Hansen verbally agreed to terms in Hansen's apartment only the night before Hansen's Man in Motion tour commenced.
"I told him I wasn't going to write Saint Rick," recalls Taylor. In return, Taylor had to agree to never allow any other person to listen to Hansen's tape recorded diary of his grueling global marathon.
Both men have kept their promises. The result is an inspirational book that doubles as a love story. Taylor estimates 60% of the sales will be due to curiosity about the love affair between Hansen and his physiotherapist Amanda Reid. "No one who wasn't there has any idea what was really going on during that trip," says Taylor, who visited Hansen on five occasions during the tour.
The turning point, says Taylor, was Newfoundland. Prior to re-entering Canada, the Man in Motion tour had only raised $174,000 in 33 countries. Because Newfoundland had largely missed out on the visits of Terry Fox and Steve Fonyo, that province responded especially well to Hansen.
Hansen now likens the $20 million support he received from within Canada to a cheerleading wave in a sports stadium. Vancouver stood up first. Almost two years later, Newfoundland finally stood up second. The wave followed from there and it has continued to circulate.
"The finish line is only the beginning," says Hansen. Man in Motion, the book, marks the beginning of a second consciousness-raising wave that will continue to improve the lives of handicapped persons.
As for his personal future, Hansen has turned down options to enter politics. "Politics is no good for you," Taylor told his hard-headed collaborator, "They wouldn't let you start as Prime Minister."
A sympathetic waiter later enquired if Rick would prefer to leave unobserved through a kitchen door. Hansen agreed. Leaving The Keg, he tripped and fell again, this time tumbling headfirst into a garbage can.
Rick Hansen wiped garbage from his face. "So this is how it's going to be," said the former high school athlete-of-the-year.
It's the kind of story that news cameras can never tell. And it's the kind of story that makes Man in Motion (Douglas & McIntyre $19.95) the leading candidate for bestselling B.C. book of the year.
On September 19 at Oakridge, where his Man in Motion tour began, Hansen launched the new book with a record first printing of 65,000 from B.C.'s largest publisher. After four continents, 34 countries, averaging 45,000 wheel strokes daily, burning 271 calories hourly, raising over $20 million, finding love and glory, the man who was once Williams Lake's only wheelchair owner has become an author.
Premier B.C. sportswriter Jim Taylor was chosen by Hansen to help co-write the book. Just as Rick Hansen lost the use of his legs in a traffic accident at age 15 in 1973, Taylor's daughter Teresa became a quadriplegic as the result of a skiing accident in 1976 at age 14.
"Even before Man in Motion began," says Taylor, "I had wanted to write a book about wheelchair athletes. I was going to call it 'Yes, I Can.'" Taylor and Hansen verbally agreed to terms in Hansen's apartment only the night before Hansen's Man in Motion tour commenced.
"I told him I wasn't going to write Saint Rick," recalls Taylor. In return, Taylor had to agree to never allow any other person to listen to Hansen's tape recorded diary of his grueling global marathon.
Both men have kept their promises. The result is an inspirational book that doubles as a love story. Taylor estimates 60% of the sales will be due to curiosity about the love affair between Hansen and his physiotherapist Amanda Reid. "No one who wasn't there has any idea what was really going on during that trip," says Taylor, who visited Hansen on five occasions during the tour.
The turning point, says Taylor, was Newfoundland. Prior to re-entering Canada, the Man in Motion tour had only raised $174,000 in 33 countries. Because Newfoundland had largely missed out on the visits of Terry Fox and Steve Fonyo, that province responded especially well to Hansen.
Hansen now likens the $20 million support he received from within Canada to a cheerleading wave in a sports stadium. Vancouver stood up first. Almost two years later, Newfoundland finally stood up second. The wave followed from there and it has continued to circulate.
"The finish line is only the beginning," says Hansen. Man in Motion, the book, marks the beginning of a second consciousness-raising wave that will continue to improve the lives of handicapped persons.
As for his personal future, Hansen has turned down options to enter politics. "Politics is no good for you," Taylor told his hard-headed collaborator, "They wouldn't let you start as Prime Minister."
Submitted on October 25, 2004 in By David.
