With the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Medal-Bearer Relay less than a week away from Quesnel, local medal-bearers are starting to get excited about their role in this cross-Canada journey.
Two of the medal-bearers will carry the official anniversary medal from their wheelchairs.
Landon Mcgauley will bring the medal up Reid Street March 22, arriving in Spirit Square about 5 p.m. which is the kick-off time for End-of-Day celebrations which are expected to last past 6:30 p.m.
Lynn Turner will carry the medal from Spirit Square down Reid Street on Sunday, March 25 as the Relay makes its way through the community with stops at MacDonald’s (official sponsor) Red Bluff Lhtako Band and CNC/UNBC before heading down Highway 97 South to Kersley, where again medal bearers will make a loop in the community and finish at the Kersley Community Hall.
During Rick Hansen’s original Man in Motion World Tour, on his return to Canada on the final leg of his journey, he also wheeled into Kersley with a stop at the community hall.
There were many ways people were invited to join the Anniversary Relay. For Landon one of his teachers at Correlieu put his nomination in.
“I’m pretty honoured and excited to be the final medal-bearer coming up Reid Street,” he said.
“I’ve been aware of the positive effect Rick Hansen has had on accessibility. Coming back from rehab in the Lower Mainland, I wasn’t sure how accessible Quesnel would be but was pleasantly surprised as to how accessible the community is.”
Landon, a Grade 11 student, has embraced the world of disabled sports and is proud of his spot on the provincial ski team.
One of his immediate goals is to take that a few steps farther.
“I’d like to be on the National Ski Team for a couple of years and maybe compete in the Paralympics,” the young paralympic said.
“I’m not sure after that.”
Landon’s spinal cord was damaged in a mountain bike accident at Sun Peaks Resort, July 4, 2010.
He sustained a T-5 spinal injury which meant Landon would never walk again.
One of the moments Landon said he would never forget was meeting Rick Hansen at the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Richmond B.C.
“He heard about my injury and came to the centre and found me,” Landon said.
“We have similar spinal cord injuries but his is lower down on the spine and therefore he has more core strength than I do.”
Landon said his message to other disabled youth is there’s going to be some bad days but for the most part you can adapt to anything you want to do and enjoy life.
“After I hang out with people, they don’t feel sorry for me, that’s not what I want,” he said.
Lynn Turner was asked by the B.C. Paraplegic Association if she would be interested in participating, she didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“The medal-bearer relay brings a lot more awareness to the fact Rick Hansen is still out there, his dream and the things he’s working for are still real and pertinent to people’s lives,” she said.
For the past 10 years Lynn has been adapting to life in a wheelchair.
“It was my first road ride on a motorcycle, I was going slowly however I crashed, it was just one of those things, not speed, not foolishness, it just happened,” she said.
“Adapting is a requirement, it just depends on whether you do it well or poorly.”
Lynn says she believes she’s adapted well.
“I’m 53 and active in the community, I don’t just sit at home injured. I work hard, I keep my own home, look after my family, and encourage others to remain fit and to get out of their homes and be active.”
She’s proud of Quesnel’s first Rick Hansen Walk she organized last May.
“It wasn’t huge but it brought people out that might not otherwise get out,” she said.
Lynn is also a member of the Rick Hansen Foundation Ambassador program and speaks to groups whenever she can.
“Often we talk to kids in the elementary schools and they ask a lot of questions,” she said.
Several years ago Lynn moved to Quesnel where she forged a new life in a community that has only known her in a wheelchair.
“This life is strictly a chair life and in some ways that’s easier,” she said.
“It’s been a good move to Quesnel, the best decision I ever made, it’s home now.”
Lynn is proud to be part of the 25th Anniversary Medal-Bearer Relay.
“Every push of the wheel is a victory Rick can count, not just for himself but for the people he’s helped and those who’ve benefited from his vision.
“I read somewhere, one of Rick’s visions was to find wheelchairs only in a museum.”
Organizers in Quesnel are hoping to see crowds of people welcoming Landon up Reid Street, March 22 then again sending Lynn down Reid Street, March 25.
End-of-Day celebrations on March 22 include official Rick Hansen Relay Team ceremonies, entertainment from Rockin’ Chair Band with Trevor Adelman, Quesnel’s Gidha Indo-Canadian dancers and the Boyd Hoop dancers as well local dignitaries and the unveiling of the refurbished Rick Hansen carving.
The 300 block of Reid Street will be blocked off and the parking lot behind Spirit Square is for disabled parking only.
Local organizer Charlene Lawrence recommended people arrive early.
Lynn would also appreciate a crowd of well-wishers as she makes her way back down Reid Street.