Unit 76
"Superman" Star Christopher Reeve
Superman actor Christopher Reeve, who turned personal tragedy into a public campaign and from his wheelchair became the nation's most recognizable spokesman for spinal cord research, died on Oct. 10, 2004, after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma the previous day. In the last week Reeve had developed a serious systemic infection, a common problem for people living with paralysis who develop bedsores and depend on tubes for their care. "He's put up with a lot", said his mother, "I'm glad he's free of all those tubes."
Reeve was born Sept. 25, 1952, in New York City. His athletic frame and love for adventure made him a natural choice for the international icon Superman in the 1987 film. He made Superman believable by playing him as a hero with brains and a heart. He insisted on performing his own stunts. He said, "What makes Superman a hero is not his power, but that he has wisdom and maturity to use the power wisely." Later he co-starred with Jane Seymour in Somewhere in Time, which inspired a wide cult following among college students, though not popular at the time it was released. Seymour thought so highly of Reeve that she named one of her kids after him. Reeve went on to appear in a total of 17 feature films, a dozen TV-movies and 150 plays. His striking good looks and imposing physique were reminiscent of Hollywood's classic leading men like John Wayne who, after meeting Reeve at the 1979 Academy Awards, turned to Cary Grant and said, "This is our new man. He's taking over."
On Memorial Day weekend, 1995, Reeve was competing when his horse, "Eastern Express" decided to put on brakes just before the third jump. The momentum carried him over the top of his horse. As his hands got entangled in the bridles, he couldn't get an arm free to break the fall. All his 6-feet-4-inches and 215 pounds landed headfirst. Within seconds, he was paralyzed from the neck down and fighting for air like a drowning person. Enduring months of therapy to allow him to breathe for longer and longer periods without respirator, he emerged to lobby for better insurance protection against catastrophic injury.
He also returned to acting in a 1998 production of Rear Window, a modern update of the Hitchcock thriller about a man in a wheelchair who is convinced a neighbor has been murdered. Critics praised his talent and courage, and he was able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story by only acting with his voice and face.
In 2000, Reeve was able to move his index finger. With rigorous therapy, involving repeated electrical stimulation of the muscles, he also regained sensation in other parts of his body. He vowed to walk again. But sadly, he died 4 years later. Dr. Onders, who implanted electrodes in Reeve's diaphragm in a groundbreaking surgery to help him breathe, said the sore that led to his infection was not Reeve's only recent health problem. "Many different problems develop after nine years of not being able to move yourself, having intestinal problems... It just slowly builds up over the years." |