Christopher Reeve was my favorite actor long before he suffered his tragic horseback riding accident in May of 1995. As a young girl I was a huge fan of his Superman movies, and I still have a special love for the movie Somewhere In Time. The news that he was paralyzed was eye-opening, because it meant that all of us, even superstars, are susceptible to disability at any time. I remember personally feeling heartbreak over the information. Yet the way Mr. Reeve handled his paralysis with dignity and grace, smiling and promising dedication to research, gave hope to millions of spinal cord injury sufferers around the world. He lobbied congress to double the funding for the National Institutes of Health, which went from $12 billion in 1998 to $27.2 billion in 2003.
He created the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF), which is, according to Maggie Goldberg, Vice president of Public Relations, “…committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders, including spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and ALS.”
Dana Reeve was a true example of love and devotion. She stood beside her husband during this frightening reality with one of the bravest faces I have ever seen. After Christopher died, she remained present in the media and continued to promote the moving forward of her husband’s landmark research. She wrote the book CAREPACKAGES: Letters to Christopher Reeve from Strangers and Other Friends. This was an inspiring book and a way for her to say “thank you” to the many people who offered their support. When Dana Reeve died of lung cancer at the age of 44, just a year and a half after her husband’s death, the world was again stunned. Robin Williams was quoted as saying “the brightest light has gone out.”
I personally believe that Chris and Dana’s love was so strong and enduring, it just needed to continue in another realm.
Christopher and Dana Reeve, under the umbrella of CRF, also created the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center(PRC). This was an effort to help the families and caregivers of people living with paralysis. They encouraged those with recent injuries or long-time sufferers to call for support. For more information, contact the PRC at www.paralysis.org, email prc@crpf.org, or call 1-800-539-7309.
Through the devoted commitment of Christopher and Dana Reeve, spinal cord injury research is onoing. As Christopher said just months before his death, his advice to those still suffering and enduring was to “Go Forward!”
“There is no such thing as false hope,” Christopher Reeve often said to people. “There is hope, or there is not.”