Since 1998, Canada’s Walk of Fame has been celebrating Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields while inspiring the next generation.
Two years ago, the organization’s CEO Melanie Hurley and the board of directors set out to do something special to recognize the dedication and commitment started by their founding director, Peter Somalias — and they came up with the “Unsung Hero Honour.”
The award is bestowed upon an individual nominated by someone in their community — an individual that’s doing a great job or inspiring others, Hurley says.
Carol Ann Fellows lives in Trenton, Ont. and she felt compelled to nominate her longtime friend, John Cairns.
“He gives so much to everyone, he deserves to have this award,” says Fellows.
“He deserves for the whole country to see that he’s an absolutely incredible human being that just gives of himself to everybody all the time.”
John is being recognized for his positive outlook and for inspiring those around him to never give up — a lesson he had to learn at a young age while working in a rail yard in Toronto.
Then 26, John says he struggled at first to embrace his artificial limbs.
“It wasn’t easy. In the beginning, I didn’t even look in the mirror for six months, and yet, I mean, hindsight’s 20/20—it has been the best friend to me because it has allowed me to have such an amazing quality of life and travel the roads and be able to give back.”
And he has given back in many ways, starting a charity called wheelchair of hope, delivering wheelchairs to those in need.
He leads by example and this past August, John climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, living true to his motto: “I can and I will.”
He says in an odd twist of fate, his life, now, has more meaning.
“Turning tragedy into success just elevated my life to heights that I would have never known.”
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