Editor:
For those who thought the Olympic magic would never return, welcome to the Paralympic Games!
Rick Hansen cast a spell on all Canadians as he redefined what's possible; Terry Fox's words reverberated through a packed B.C. Place Stadium and around our country. Even as we began to savour the first ever Paralympic Games staged in Canada, we were redefining what makes a "champion."
The Paralympics force us to look at sports and national pride from two angles. We're watching athletes compete, as athletes compete anywhere, anytime, able-bodied or disabled. The competition is fierce. But, more than in the Olympics, the Paralympics make us look deep within ourselves as we observe people, many with greater life impediments than our own.
On Saturday, March 13, in Whistler, organizations called True Patriot Love and Soldier On sponsored several members of the Canadian Forces to be in Whistler Village during the Games. Among others, Jody Mittich was there, with whom I had run along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. What makes that statement exceptional was that Mittich had lost both legs below the knee, injured in an explosion while on duty in Afghanistan. Mittich and other injured soldiers are redefining their lives, adapting to new circumstances.
The Paralympics can teach us many things. The disabilities of a legless athlete may be more evident than the disabilities of able-bodied people, but all of us have one thing in common - we can make the "impossible" possible.
I predict that, just as certain Olympians become household names, certain Paralympians will join Terry Fox and Rick Hansen to become national and international heroes.
John Weston, MP, West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country
