Christopher Reeve wasn’t just a superhero to his son because he played one on screen.
“No, to me, my father was Superman because he was my hero: Dad,” Will Reeve wrote in an op-ed published by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
Because of that, Will — who was just 3 years old when his father became a quadriplegic following an equestrian accident in 1995 — has continued his late father’s push for spinal cord injury research through the foundation set up by his parents. His father passed away of a heart attack in October 2004 and his mother died in 2006.
“My parents worked tirelessly, through the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, to make sure that spinal cord research would move beyond the dark space into a realm of light and hope,” the 25-year-old wrote. “That is where we find ourselves today — on the cusp of delivering on my father’s dream.”
Although there is not yet a cure for paralysis, Will writes that his father’s dream of a world without wheelchairs is closer than ever before: “Recently, we announced some of the biggest news in spinal cord research history: four young men, who had been completely paralyzed, were able to stand, move their legs and experience improved bowel and bladder control, sexual function and temperature regulation.”
“These unprecedented recoveries resulted from repurposing an off-the-shelf epidural stimulator, which is normally used to treat chronic pain,” he continued. “After the device is surgically implanted on a patient’s spine, it reminds the spinal cord of what it can do, even years after an injury.”
Will writes that his father, who never stopped trying to regain the ability to walk, would have fought to make sure that everyone had access to this new technology, and that the foundation is trying to make that dream a reality.
Although the foundation’s Quality of Life Grants Program has awarded $23 million in financial support, Will writes that there’s more work to be done, and calls on others to help the foundation reach its goals.
“We’re constantly seeking those new therapies, but we also remain vigilant about finding new and innovative ways to improve the quality of life of individuals living with paralysis, which is why the Reeve Foundation maintains its dual mission of ‘Today’s Care. Tomorrow’s Cure,’” he wrote.