VANCOUVER, B.C. – Man in Motion wheelchair athlete Rick Hansen saw a dream come true Tuesday with the opening of a world-class spinal cord injury research centre in Vancouver.
The Blusson Spinal Cord Centre at Vancouver General Hospital will have more than 300 researchers looking for new ways to treat spinal injuries and providing outpatient care.
Hansen says staff at the centre will work to improve the lives of spinal cord patients and move the world closer to a cure.
Premier Gordon Campbell says the centre goes beyond any other similar facility in the world and will be the best place for finding breakthroughs to treat spinal injuries.
The $45-million-dollar centre is a partnership of the University of B.C., the Rick Hansen Foundation, the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundation.
The Rick Hansen Man in Motion world tour in 1985 and 1986 raised $26 million dollars for spinal cord research.
By The Canadian Press
