In 1995, Christopher Reeve, best known for his role in the Superman movies, lost the use of his entire body in a horseback riding accident. He was to spend the rest of his life on a wheelchair.
Doctors told him that whatever small progress toward mobility he might achieve would only come in the first six months after the injury. In 2002 Christopher stunned the medical community by revealing that he had gained movement in his fingers and toes, and the ability to distinguish sensations on his skin. He continued tirelessly with hours of grueling daily exercise and numerous rehabilitative therapies until an infection sent him into cardiac arrest.
He set up The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to raise money for research to overcome his condition. “I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life, I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery” said Christopher.
Though the paralyzed actor died in October at age 52, never having achieved his goal of walking again, he remains a powerful symbol of hope and resolve against insurmountable odds.
I am lucky that I had an exciting and adventurous life for 42 years. I have those memories and a realistic prospect of a better future. I don’t have a legitimate cause to feel down. I am too busy to feel sorry for myself.
So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.
-- Christopher Reeve
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