I am shocked . . . but I shouldn't be. He lived an incredible life and was such an inspiration to everyone involved with SCI from the patients to the doctors to the researchers. I think his incredible progress lulled us all into a false sense of his invincibility -- that he would eventually beat all of the odds -- that maybe he really would walk again, as imporbable as it seemed. He was willing to participate in clinical trials, including one for a diaphragmatic prosthesis that was developed in my lab. He participated in a complex excercise program that "trained" his nerves to keep working. I wrote a paper on his late recovery for spinal cord injury, and that was what got me interested in Lois and Clark again. I will post it if I can find it on any of the cds I have from my old computer.
Christopher Reeve will be missed by not only his family, friends, and fans of his acting, he will be missed by everyone who is somehow related to spinal cord injury for his optimism and activism. He never was able to walk again, but maybe because of his efforts, someone else with a similar injury will reap the benefits of the work he encouraged and his foundation paid for. I am a bit of a cynic who thinks that a "cure for paralysis" may never be seen in my life time, but I believe that through research efforts, effective treatments can be developed that can greatly enhance an injured person's life.
Rest in peace, Christopher.
- Laura
