P1

Christopher Reeve was born in 1952 to a wealthy family in New York. Chisel-
jawed and good-looking, Reeve split his young adult life between Ivy League
schools in the US and sipping wine and riding horses around Europe. An
aspiring actor, in 1978, Reeve hit his big break and scored the role of
Superman in a big-budget Hollywood movie. He earned millions and became
one of the most recognizable celebrities in the world.
Reeve made a fortune. He spent that fortune on nice houses, nice cars,
luxurious parties and his passion for riding horses.
Then in 1995, Reeve fell off a horse and cracked two vertebrae in his spine.
He would never walk or breathe on his own again.
Reeve became an advocate for the disabled and spent the rest of his life
fundraising for spinal cord research. He was the first celebrity supporter of
stem cell research. Reeve later claimed that his accident helped him

p2
appreciate life more.” It wasn’t a joke. He noted that there were “able-
bodied people more paralyzed than I am,” and once remarked, “I can laugh. I
can love. I am a very lucky guy.”
*****