Author: Howard Publisher: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Publishing House Publication year: 2008-10
Christopher Reeve (1952-2004), best known for starring in the film Superman (1978), was vacationing on a farm in Virginia on May 27, 1995, when he rode a fierce horse that lost his hooves due to the lack of height of the mount's hurdles.
He rolled off his horse and was thrown to the ground, his head and shoulders hit the ground first, and the top two cervical vertebrae of his spine were shattered, and he fainted on the spot in pain.
Christopher Reeve was carried into the hospital, and despite more than ten days of emergency rescue and the best efforts of the doctors, he was finally out of danger, causing complete paralysis from the neck down.
During the rescue treatment, he survived the darkest days of his life and began a painful and long life of disability.
Due to the disability caused by the spinal fall, his neural control system also began to fail, his hands could not move flexibly, and his legs gradually atrophied and lost the ability to walk.
Christopher Reeve and wife Dana Reeve
The most distressing thing is that because of the broken cervical vertebrae, Christopher Reeve could not lift up at all, and at first he could only lie flat on the bed and lean on the mobile bed to roll over.
After lying like this for most of the year, after many surgeries, he was finally able to lift his upper body, but he had to rely on the belt to keep his upper body straight, and if he did not rely on him, he would fall headlong.
Author: Margaret Finn Published: 1997
At that time, he thought that "the injury is so bad, there is no possibility of recovery, and death is God's most merciful treatment for him." ”
This suicidal thought had been tormenting Christopher Reeve at the time, after all, he seemed to see no hope.
When he finally told his wife, Dana Reeve (1961-2006), Dana Reeve's sincere words "You are still you, I love you" revived him.
Christopher Reeve with his wife Dana Reeve and son Will Reeve
The young couple have been in love since they got married on April 11, 1992.
On June 7, 1992, Dana Reeve gave birth to his only son, Will Reeve, at the age of 31.
When Christopher Reeve saw the heartbreak and pain his wife had never felt before, he stopped thinking about anything, and his only thought was, "I owe her my life." ”
Since then, even if the recovery process is painful, he has gritted his teeth and survived in order to cooperate with the efforts of his beloved wife and give her hope.
The organizer of the Oscars, the American Academy of Film Arts, in order to show his love for "Superman", worked hard for him to attend the 68th Academy Awards in 1996.
Careful arrangements were made throughout: to ensure his safe flight from New York to Los Angeles, paramedics had to carry him on a stretcher onto a plane equipped with artificial respirators, heart-testing instruments and monitoring fluorescent screens.
At the same time, several doctors and nurses must be on standby at all times, and they must be transported by ambulance before and after boarding and disembarking.
It is said that because patients like him are too risky to fly long distances, the insurance fee alone cost more than 200,000 US dollars, accounting for half of the organizers' cost for his Oscar trip.
The news of Christopher Reeve's attendance at the 68th Academy Awards, although a radio station had revealed it in advance, when actress Emma Thompson left the stage and the curtain slowly rose to reveal Christopher Reeve, the guests were shocked.
He was still so handsome, and his whole body radiated a brave and happy light, and no one dared to believe that he was once on the verge of death.
Seconds later, his friends Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and others stood up and applauded him.
When Christopher Reeve addressed as a guest, his first words were, "I saw many warm and welcoming faces in the audience. ”
He then highlights his wife's crucial role in regaining his self-confidence. The expenses spent by the film academy to invite "Superman" have also produced good social benefits.
Christopher Reeve and Johnny Grant
Actress Susan Sarandon, who was a classmate with Christopher Reeve at the time, said in an interview backstage after winning Best Actress at the 68th Academy Awards, "I can't describe how his appearance inspired everyone." ”
After that, Christopher Reeve's body and mind improved a lot. He made up his mind that if he couldn't be an actor, he would be a writer.
Author: Christopher Reeve Translator: Huang Pu Publisher: CITIC Press Publication year: 1999-12
At this time, he reached an agreement with the publisher to dictate his experience. While he was still at the center of traffic, he finally published his autobiography The Career and Courage of Christopher Reeve in July 1996, which hit the bestseller list shortly after its release.
Later, this autobiography was published in China by CITIC Press in 1999, and the title was changed to "Superman".
In December 1996, Christopher Reeve's internal organs also developed a series of problems, and the digestive and respiratory systems began to become infected and lost their normal function.
It wasn't until July 1998, when he struggled with the disease for nearly three years, when he had gradually become accustomed to a highly disabled life and overcome mental depression and sadness.
After that, when he appeared in public, he always sat in a special wheelchair, which was customized with 15,000 US dollars and had an automatic handle, which could be shaken at will and change the angle of the body.
His hands rested on the leather handles, looking like two dead fish resting on a large plate.
His body has a thick elastic strap from the neck to the legs, so that his body does not suffer sprains when bending forward and turning from side to side.
Christopher Reeve went through a very painful period after being seriously injured.
His faithful wife, Dana Reeve, recalled: "It was a nightmare that will never be forgotten, and he kept shouting when he fell asleep, as if he was on set, and it took many days to gradually subside." Even our son, who was only 4 years old at the time, always cried in fright, climbed onto his toy wooden horse, hugged it tightly, and cried out in horror: 'I broke my neck!' Until I pulled him down and said to him, 'Baby, you didn't break your neck, it's Daddy's neck.' He slowly quieted down. ”
Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana Reeve and fans
Christopher Reeve's medication and 24-hour daily care costs a total of $400,000 a year, not including treatment and fees.
His health insurance premiums total $1.2 million, which will be used up in three years.
Christopher Reeve's wife gave up her career to devote herself to taking care of him, which made Christopher Reeve very unhappy.
Dana Reeve and son Will Reeve
He often sits in front of the window and looks at the scenery, he said: "I have always struggled with depression, I have struggled to be strong, I always say to myself: 'It's not you, you shouldn't be like this, it's a misunderstanding.'" That's how I calmed myself down and got used to this horrible life. ”
Christopher Reeve's two cervical vertebrae, called C1C2, have been replaced with artificially made joints, and he knows many patients in the hospital and is determined to contribute to the treatment of spondylosis.
Author: Libby Hughes Publication year: 2004-7
He invested money in the Kennedy-Casselbaum Health Center to support the study.
Christopher Reeve later decided to devote himself to the creation of the National Chiropractic Research Foundation, and according to his and his aides, the National Public Medicaid Board spends $8 billion a year on chiropractic treatment and $90 billion for Parkinson's and Azimer's disease.
Christopher Reeve and wife Dana Reeve
Christopher Reeve decided to set up a research foundation in his name and lobbied the country, saying, "We must establish a fund with permanent guarantees to provide reliable support to victims who spend endless sums, because national public health aid cannot sustain the needs of a lifelong healer, and we need to have practical measures that cannot be solved by benevolence and words alone." ”
He also appeared on NBC's talk show, where he spoke to the audience with famous host Barbara Walters about his foundation propositions. It was his first public appearance since his injury.
Christopher Reeve passionately told his fans in conversation that by his 50th birthday he wished he could stand up and toast to all those who helped him.
Subsequently, Christopher Reeve, who could not act, changed his career to directing, and his film "In the Gloaming" (1997) appeared on the screen in 1997, and Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Brigitte Fonda and other movie stars crossed the knife, and won a fairly high box office.
When director Jeff Blakener remade Alfred Hitchcock's (1899-1980) classic Rear Window (1998), Christopher Reeve was invited to recapture his dream of acting.
Stills from the movie Rear Window (1998), Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hannah
In fact, this remake is not a remake of the original, but a shell borrowed. Christopher Reeve ended up using the filming proceeds to support research into spondylosis.
"Rear Window" is a play tailored by director Jeff Blackner for Christopher Reeve, in which he plays a paralyzed man who acts entirely by looking at his eyes.
Poster for the American version of the movie "Rear Window" (1998), Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hanna
The film received unanimous praise after its screening, and it was also the last work he left on the screen because he interpreted the meaning of life with his actions.
President Clinton later met with Christopher Reeve and promised to immediately realize a $10 million support cost to the National Rehabilitation Centre.
Pennsylvania allocated $40 million in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities in the name of the city to grant funds to the National Rehabilitation Center for research on spondylosis.
Christopher Reeve with his wife Dana Reeve and son Will Reeve
Addressing the public, Christopher Reeve said: "In the late '60s when President Kennedy promised our people that we would put people on the moon, almost everyone, including scientists, shook their heads suspiciously. But we have done it, and the complete cure of spondylosis will definitely be achieved, and we are now moving towards the set goal. Our conquest of the inner universe of the human body is entirely possible. ”
What everyone did not expect was that Christopher Reeve died of heart failure and sepsis on October 10, 2004, at the age of 52.
But he spent the last 9 years of his life in a wheelchair, which is already a miracle in medicine.
Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve attend an event in the movie GoodFellas (1990).
On August 9 , 2005 , Christopher Reeve's wife, Dana Reeve, announced that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer, although she had never smoked.
Dana Reeve died on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44 after a long battle with lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City—less than two weeks before her 45th birthday, March 17.
Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve
Will Reeve, the only son of Christopher Reeve and his wife Dana Reeve, is now 30 years old and an actor.
Image of Christopher Reeve in the film Superman (1978).
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