Dreaming Forward | May 30th 2011
Sonny Davis is not only celebrating his birthday today but also the 1st year anniversary of The Marathon of Freedom, a coast to coast wheelchair push he began last year off the west coast of Canada raising money, awareness and inspiration for Muscular Dystrophy.
Though it was a grassroots project, Davis and his dream team, as he calls them, traveled 3 months and 9 days over the highways and the hills of the Trans-Canada eventually landing in Thunder Bay Ontario where he had to make the executive decision to call journeys end. In no way did the project stop however. Right through the winter; awareness and funds, interveiws and calendar sales continued and the message and vision of the Marathon of Freedom certainly took flight.
The dream continued to unfold, says Davis and although the marathon itself will be on a short hiatus, plans are already in motion for accompanying the Rick Hansen Foundation later this summer as part of Ricks relay endurance team, ushering in a commorative Rick Hansen medal between towns and cities as the original Man in Motion tour is being re-created for spinal cord awareness.
I’ll join them on a small part of the tour leaving from the east coast pushing west again in my handcycle, says Davis. I guess they caught wind of what I did last year and wanted to work together. Rick has always been a huge source of inspiration that way for me. I am so honored to be joining the Man in Motion tour and the opportunity to be a part of one of historys great dreams. More info on this summers relay can be found at www.rickhansen.com
Speaking of dreams, says Davis; and he has many; I desire to race for Team Canada next year at the London Paralympics. It was a dream I held for years (to be an Olympian) but somehow got lost in the mix of names, lables and opinions and I never got the chance to realize that dream when I was originally going after it. There are no accidents in life, he says, everything happens for reasons, but if I hadn’t been re-classified and cut from the team; the Marathon of Freedom probably would have never been born.
Davis wishes to revisit racing competitivley again and has been training towards the very real possibility of going for the gold in London next year. I’ve switched sports, he says, and the classifying is different. Still though, names, labels, opinions and beurocracy exist and I am choosing to face it head on and fight for what I know as the truth and to be free to chase whatever dream I wish. I own my challenges, they do not own me and I do want to race in London next year.
Sonny Davis says that all of lifes positive and negative experiences can be transformed into compost for the benefit of others. He has been busy building another childhood dream of speaking publicly and offering his story as inspiration and teaching the age old principal of never giving up.
Fall down six times get up seven says Sonny. Words to live by when life starts to feel like a marathon.
Davis is taking this opportunity to give thanks to all his sponsors and supporters who were there from the beginning and continue to hold strong the vision of shining your freedom through limitations. That is what I wish to see come of all this, that an inspiration be born within you as to give it back and shine it infectiously into the world, he says, and to celebrate that today I am re-launching the website that has seen huge transformation over the last year.
Things change and we must keep evolving he says. The new website includes more of what I wish to offer the world. I hope you enjoy it.
Sonny Davis can also be found at www.sonnyandchair.com
Making his way across the country
Posted By Adrian Alleyne,
Beausjour Review – August 31, 2010
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Swift Current Online – August 6, 2010
Marathon Man carries on
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Saint City News - July 2, 2010
Marathon of Freedom Arrives in Morinville
Posted By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville News – June 24, 2010
Sonny Wheels Across Canada – July 22 2010
On 630 CHED Edmonton: http://www.630ched.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1244365
On iNews880 Edmonton: http://www.inews880.com/Channels/Reg/LocalNews/story.aspx?ID=1244364
On JOE FM Edmonton: http://www.joefm.ca/Channels/Reg/NewsLocal/Story.aspx?ID=1244364
On CJOB 68 Winnipeg: http://www.cjob.com/Channels/News/Edmonton/Story.aspx?id=1244365
On AM900 CHML Hamilton: http://www.900chml.com/Channels/News/Edmonton/Story.aspx?ID=1244365
On AM 640 Toronto: http://www.640toronto.com/Channels/News/Edmonton/Story.aspx?id=1244365
Six Trans-Canada adventurers cross the Columbia in one week
Posted By Aaron Orlando -
Revelstoke Times Review – June 14, 2010
Marathon of Freedom in support of Muscular Dystrophy
Ron Cust – Fire Chief
MorinVille Alberta – June 7, 2010
Sonny and Chair’ on awareness tour for Muscular Dystrophy
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Kelowna Daily Courier – June 6, 2010
Local athlete raises profile of Muscular Dystrophy
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Edmonton Sun – May 13, 2010
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Victoria Timescolonist.com – May 30, 2010
