Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve, before accident. (http://www.capedwonder.com/Chris_1984.jpg)

When asked what a hero is, odds are that a majority of people would say just some star. To me, a hero can be many things; it just depends on what you are looking for in that person. Several qualities pop into my head when the word hero is mentioned. To me, a hero is strong, caring, optimistic, brave, not prejudiced, and many other things. When that person comes across an obstacle, no matter how difficult or challenging it may be, they overcome it and try to reach out to others.

Journalist Barbara Johnson and writer/professor Franklin Reeve gave birth to their son, Christopher Reeve, on September 25, 1952 in New York City. A few years later, Christopher had a brother, whose name was Benjamin. When Chris reached the young age of 4, his parents divorced, which forced Chris and his younger brother to move to Princeton, New Jersey, with their mother.

Chris in his Superman costume (http://www.chrisreevehomepage. com/biography.html)

Chris and Gae Exton had two children together. Their names are Matthew and Alexandra. Then he married in 1992 to a woman whose name was Dana Morosini, and they had a child whose name is Will.

Christopher was a very talented actor. He revealed great interest and enthusiasm even when he was just a young boy. After he graduated from high school, Christopher went on to further study his interests at Cornell University. While he was attending school, he also became a professional actor. As he was finishing up his last year of college, he and another student (Robin Williams) were selected to study at the Julliard School of Performing Arts.

Christopher riding his horse (http://www.chrisreevehomepage.com/ biography.html)

Throughout his life, he starred in several roles. Chris was in A Matter Of Gravity, Without Pity: A Film About Abilities, Somewhere in Time, Still Me, and Rear Window. Then in 1978 he got a great role – Superman! Superman was such a success, that it had sequels and eventually turned into a series.

Up until this point, his life was going excellently – he was accepted to great schools, scoring several roles, and had a family of his own. But in May of 1995, when he was riding his horse during a cross-country part of an event in Culpeper, Virginia, he was abruptly thrown from his horse and landed head first, crushing his upper vertebrae. This accident left him paralyzed from his neck down and he spent the remainder of his life in a wheel chair.

Instead of just being sad for himself, and becoming depressed, he took a different turn. He wanted to make more people aware of spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and quadriplegics. To do this, he gave speeches about what it's like, and more about it. He later established a website called, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which allows people to obtain more information and make donations for further research that will hopefully help those who are paralyzed.

Christopher in wheelchair (http://www.chrisreevehomepage.com /biography.html )

Christopher Reeve was an extraordinary person, which is why I look to him as a role model, day-to-day. Even though he was confined to a wheel chair, and couldn’t move, he still remained active. He overcame the obstacle, mentally, and then tried to reach out by helping others. Chris wanted to further the research of paralysis, so he established the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, hoping to find a cure.

When the first Superman movie came out, he was asked what a hero was. At that point in time, he thought, “a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences--a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety.” After several things had happened in his life, his definition changed; he stated, “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”