Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion set to roll June 12 at Athletics Centre
BY LORI BONA HUNT
Leo Song and his son, Terry, will be among the participants at Wheels in Motion to raise money for and awareness of spinal cord injuries Leo Song and his son, Terry, will be among the participants at Wheels in Motion to raise money for and awareness of spinal cord injuries It's been nearly 16 months since life changed for Computing and Communications Services networking analyst Leo Song, his wife, Jamie, and their now six-year-old son, Terry.
The Songs were on their way home from an outing last February when their car was struck by another vehicle on Highway 6 near Hamilton. Leo and Jamie Song received minor injuries, but Terry was critically injured. He suffered major spinal cord damage and is now paraplegic.
Since then, the entire family has had to adjust to a new life, and Leo says learning to accommodate a wheelchair is the least of it.
“People don't fully realize what a spinal cord injury means. It's very complicated, and there are a lot of things that are very frustrating. But we're trying to be open about it, trying to be positive and to be advocates for other people like us.”
As part of their advocacy efforts, the family is taking part in Wheels in Motion June 12 at the Mitchell Athletics Centre. Events are being held in hundreds of communities across Canada as part of the annual fundraising initiative of the Rick Hansen Foundation. The foundation was created in 1988 by the Canadian Olympic wheelchair marathon champion after he wheeled 40,000 kilometres to raise money for and awareness of spinal cord research.
Participants obtain pledges individually or as part of a team and then wheel, bike, skate, run or walk a three- to five-kilometre course. Half of the funds raised stay in the host community to address high-priority needs and services, and the remaining funds go to the foundation to support research.
The Guelph event — sponsored by the University, Guelph Services for Persons With Disabilities, the City of Guelph and community volunteers — runs from noon to 2 p.m. (registration is at 11 a.m.) and includes a barbecue, activities, music and awards. It's being spearheaded again this year by U of G staff members Cyndy McLean, director of the Health and Performance Centre, and Barry Wheeler of the Centre for Students With Disabilities. McLean, who was left paraplegic after a fall in 2003, organized a team last year that raised more than $11,000. This year, she's leading a team that includes the Song family.
The Songs also took part in last year's inaugural event, which was held only a few months after Terry's injury. At the time, Leo says, he hadn't accepted what had happened to his son.
“I still don't think I've accepted it,” he says. “But I have learned a lot, and one of the things I've learned is appreciation. We have received a lot of help and support from so many people.”
The family is taking part in Wheels in Motion because they want to give something back to those who have supported them, says Leo. They also want to publicize the need for research, which is crucial if children like Terry or people who may be injured in the future are to have the potential to recover.
“A lot of people are doing incredible research on spinal cord injury in Europe, Asia and North America,” he says. “It's my hope that they will make some real progress, reach some real milestones.”
About 90 per cent of what is known about spinal cord injuries has been learned in the past decade.
In addition to research, people with spinal cord injuries have numerous other needs, starting with improved services and education locally, says Leo.
“People in Guelph don't have a lot of knowledge or experience dealing with children who have spinal cord injuries.”
There are, for example, fewer options for recreational or physical therapy. The Songs have been travelling to a Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia to obtain therapy for Terry.
“We will probably be going three or four times a year,” says Leo.
There's also a need for assistance with services, equipment and health care, which, over a lifetime, can cost millions of dollars. Eighty-four per cent of spinal cord injuries happen to people under 34.
Leo says his family is still coming to terms with all the changes and challenges of their new life. “But Terry is doing very well. He is always happy, and most of the time, it's Terry who cheers us up.”
Sometimes, though, his son will talk about running and jumping like other kids, like before. “He does understand what has happened to him; he just doesn't fully realize what it will mean to him in the long run.”
When asked what his hopes are for Terry's future, Leo says: “I want him to be a healthy and positive kid and a healthy and positive man — whether or not he can stand or walk.”
For information about participating in, volunteering at or pledging support for U of G's Wheels in Motion event, contact McLean at Ext. 53319 or cmclean@uoguelph.ca or Wheeler at Ext. 56416 or bwheeler@uoguelph.ca.
