Paralyzed Canadian Starts Wheelchair Trek

Rick Hansen, a 28-year-old Canadian paralyzed from the waist down, set out Friday on the Japan portion of his 25,000-mile trek around the world by wheelchair, a Canadian Embassy spokesman said.

Hansen, who was paralyzed at 15 in a traffic accident, has been on his world tour for a year. He has so far covered 14,000 miles through 32 countries.