Christopher Reeve’s Children Share His ‘Courageous Steps’

“Yeah there is a sense of closure,” Matthew said. “I’m glad to see it on the shelves and really hope that people see it and take away a greater sense of appreciation for what they have and also a better understanding for what it’s really like to live with a disability.”

Christopher Reeve spent the last nine years of his life as a quadriplegic, yet despite the obstacles he faced, his spirit remained indomitable.

“The ability that the mind has to affect the body, those things they work in mysterious ways but they’re working out for me. And it began more than 5 years after the injury. And the first thing that I suddenly was able to do out of nowhere, I was able to move my index finger,” Christopher told his children’s camera.

Billy asked Alexandra what she thought of when she looked at her dad’s life and his story.

“It’s a story of strength. I think one of the powerful things about the DVD is that it shows that this wasn’t always easy for him,” Alexandra said. “But that actually makes the story more powerful in the end.”

His determination was unyielding. Still, setbacks were almost routine, like the day his breathing was tested and Chris was told, going off the ventilator would not be possible.

“So that’s what we found,” the doctor told Christopher.

“I understand,” Christopher replied.

The news was crushing, but moments later, Christopher turned into a positive.

“Well, my immediate concern is what to do to start to get some diaphragm strength back,” he said.

Given the hurdles before him, even the smallest victory was a cause for celebration.

“My legs remembered how to walk and I stepped,” he is captured saying on his children’s film.

While constantly striving to improve his quality of life, Christopher understood he had a powerful voice he could use to help others.

“Now some people are able to accept living with a disability,” he told the US Senate. “I am not one of them. Therapeutic cloning is done without fertilizing an egg.”

Billy asked Alexandra if anyone with a spinal cord injury has filled the vacuum left by Christopher’s death.

“He really was the figure and embodiment of this and it’s harder for a cause when that one figure goes away. But now it’s up to us, it’s up to us as an entire community to realize that this problem hasn’t gone away with him,” she said.

“He got his sense of smell back . . . Was there one thing he really wanted to do more than anything?” Billy asked Alexandra.

“Even such a small change can make a world of difference to someone,” she said.