Spinal-cord crusader hopeful

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 03/5/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

It's been four decades since a 15-year-old Rick Hansen was thrown from the back of a pickup truck and suffered a serious spinal-cord injury that would leave him bound to a wheelchair.

In that time, Hansen, famous for his Man in Motion World Tour and charitable foundation, has seen great advances in research and treatment that give him hope that someone suffering a similar injury will someday enjoy a better fate.

"My belief is -- and the reason I'm engaged in this work -- is to hope that the legacy for the next generation of newly injured... is that they will walk again," he said in Winnipeg Tuesday.

Hansen was on hand as the Manitoba government renewed its commitment to funding local spinal-cord research and patient support for another five years. Health Minister Erin Selby said the province would provide $3 million over the next five years. The money continues work that's been going on since 2008.

"When I was injured, it took hours for the paramedics to arrive and to medevac me out to a local rural (B.C.) hospital," Hansen said.

After several hospital transfers, he was finally taken by ambulance to a major hospital in the B.C.'s Lower Mainland, where he was operated on days later. There was no specialized treatment centre for spinal-cord injuries at the time.

Contrast that with the experience in many parts of Canada today: Treatment begins at the scene and the patient is transported to a spinal-cord centre. Surgery, where necessary, is done immediately. Drugs are given to reduce swelling and minimize damage.

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Spinal-cord crusader hopeful