He
was “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than
a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single
bound.” He was the world’s greatest superhero. When
Christopher
Reeve was picked to play this role in films
in 1977, audiences across the country cheered with approval.
Like Superman,
Christopher was dashing,
handsome, and strong. Like Superman, he seemed nearly
invincible.
He skied, sailed, flew planes, went scuba diving, rode
horses, played tennis——and did it all with skill and
ease. No one could imagine Christopher Reeve any other
way.
All
that changed on May 27, 1995. Christopher was in Virginia
with his wife, Dana Morosini, and their young son, Will.
He had entered a three-day horse riding competition
there. His horse, Eastern Express, appeared to be in
fine shape. The 42-year-old Christopher looked equally
fit and relaxed.
The
competition was going well for Christopher. He wasn’t
in the first place, but he wasn’t in the last, either.
On his third obstacle in a two-mile jumping event, however,
the communication between horse and rider broke down
somehow. Without warning, Eastern Express stopped short,
but Christopher kept going. He pitched forward over
the horse’s head, landing on his own head——not moving,
not even breathing.
Christopher
had broken his spinal
cord near the base of his skull,
resulting in paralysis
from the neck down. He could not speak. He could not
even breathe on his own. At the time, doctors gave him
only a 50-50 chance of surviving at all.
Despair
filled Christopher Reeve’s heart. He thought perhaps
it would be best if he simply gave up. Dying seemed
like the easiest and least painful thing to do. He thought
it might be best for his family, too. Then he saw his
wife Dana standing next to him, saying, “You’re still
you, and I love you.”
From
that moment on, Christopher thought only about living.
Gathering his courage, he began to fight for his life.
A few days later, Christopher underwent an operation
that helped restore some feeling to his upper body.
Still, doctors emphasized his limitations. He would
never walk again. He would never even breathe again
without the aid of a respirator.
Christopher
set out to prove the doctors wrong. First of all, he
wanted to breathe on his own. Five months after the
accident, he asked to be taken off the respirator. He
managed just 10 feeble
breaths before being reconnected to the breathing tube.
Refusing to be discouraged, Christopher took a few more
breaths the next day. By the fourth day, he was able
to breathe seven minutes without assistance. After three
months, he could sustain himself for 90 minutes at a
time. By the end of 1995, he was able to go home.
Soon after that, Christopher felt ready to face the
world again. He had a message to spread. He wanted to
tell people that no matter what challenges they faced,
they shouldn’t give up. Christopher began to make public
appearances. He gave a motivational
speech in Toronto.
He spoke at a Boston
University graduation. Wherever Christopher
appeared, his speeches met with standing ovations——and
many teary faces.
Christopher
also went back to work. Clearly he couldn’t play the
roles he’d played in the past. Instead he turned to
directing. His first film, In the Gloaming,
proved he had not lost his creative spark.
Despite
his brave attitude, Christopher has had his share of
“down” times. In the year following his accident, he
had problems with blood clots.
Later, he developed pneumonia.
One day while doing physical therapy, he fell to the
floor and broke his arm.
Every
day he struggled with the reality of his condition.
“In the morning, I need 20 minutes to cry,” he told
a reporter. After nighttime dreams of running and playing
with his son, he needed the 20 minutes “to wake up and
make that shift...”
But
after the tears, Christopher always whispered, “And
now, forward!” With those words, Christopher Reeve proved
that although he had lost control of his body, he still
had his courage, his spirit, and his inner strength.
In that sense, he still was——and always would be——Superman!
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