Eighty-one-year-old Cedric (Rick) Dickinson was the final medal bearer in the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay at the Airdrie Legion, Feb. 27.
Dickinson was nominated by the members of the Legion to represent Airdrie during the relay, which started on Aug. 24, 2011 and will travel through more than 600 communities as it makes its nine-month, 12,000-kilometre journey across Canada before concluding in Vancouver on May 22.
“It’s really wonderful to be involved and I hope they keep up the good work,” said Dickinson, a man of few words.
He said he has been involved in the Enerflex MS Walk & Run in Calgary “for quite some time but not recently.”
Twenty-five years ago, B.C. native Rick Hansen set out on his Man in Motion World Tour.
At the age of 15, Hansen was in a car crash and sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) that paralyzed him from the waist down.
After months of rehabilitation, he returned to his first passion: sports. In 1985, he set out on his Man in Motion Tour, wheeling more than 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries and raising $26 million for SCI research and accessibility initiatives.
He has inspired thousands of people of all abilities around the world.
On Feb. 27, the relay started in Calgary, visiting a number of schools and the Olympic Oval before travelling to Airdrie. It was the longest day of the relay with the most medal bearers.
Twelve medal bearers carried the Rick Hansen medal through Airdrie on Feb. 27 and even more took part on Feb. 29.
Fifty-year Airdrie resident Hugh Hamilton said Hansen has been an inspiration.
“We really appreciate what Rick has done,” he said. “He is an example of what you should do. He shows that you can get off your behind and get on with it.”
Monika Rieger suffered a brain injury when she was in university and uses a wheelchair. She said Hansen has been a role model in her life.
“When I saw him wheeling around the world, I realized I can do whatever I need to do,” she said.
“People were looking at him as a real human being who might have something important to say, he just happens to have a disability. And that really meant something to me.”
Anna Turner said the relay is a kick-start to a marathon she is planning to run.
“To watch Rick all those years ago was really amazing,” she said. “To see what someone can overcome, what he has overcome; it’s amazing.”
One Airdrie family, Christina, Lee, Kailee, Brooklyn and Jordyn Laverdiere, took part in the relay together.
“Twenty-five years ago, I watched him come through Edmonton,” said Lee.
“It was inspirational what he did and I wanted my kids to be a part of that.”
“We want to teach them (our children) that they can do anything they put their minds to,” said Christina.
The relay travelled through Airdrie on day 188 and 190 of the 273-day journey.
“We are spreading the message that together we can achieve big things and anything is possible,” said Jeremy Fish, coordinator for the relay.
“We are taking the same route as Rick took 25 years ago and we are in our ninth province. The medal bearers in Airdrie today were nominated by their community as difference makers because they come together and make the world a better place.”
Medal bearers were nominated by a number of different organizations including the Legion, schools and sponsors. For more information on the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay, visit www.rickhansenrelay.com
