The Zoomer List: Canada’s Top 45 Over 45: Rick Hansen

In 2010, Rick Hansen — Canada’s legendary Man in Motion — certainly lived up to his advance billing. The Port Alberni native kicked off one truly amazing year by helping light the cauldron at the 2010 Winter Olympics, amidst thundering applause from his home-province crowd. On March 12, Hansen, 53, spoke at the opening of the Paralympic Games. And he capped it all off on March 21, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his original Man in Motion Tour. Through it all, he continued to run the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has raised more than $200 million for spinal cord research. Paralyzed since 15, Hansen’s dream remains as audacious and ambitious as it has from day one: “Imagine a world where everyone living with a spinal cord injury enjoys a healthy, active and productive life and every newly injured person walks away.” Impossible you say? Not if he keeps moving.