I've said it before, and I'll say it again: When the
Superman motion picture was released in 1978, Chris Reeve became my hero. Tall, handsome, and good natured, Chris was my childhood Superman and I worshiped him. After a devastating horse riding accident in 1995 that shattered his first and second vertebrae and left him quadriplegic, Chris showed us that he was in fact a super man, by dedicating the rest of his life to lobbying for stem cell research and co-founding the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, which is now one of the leading spinal cord research centers in the world. He also created the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which has raised over $65 million for research in spinal cord injury treatment, as well as over $8 million for quality-of-life grants for those suffering from disabilities. Reeve was also elected Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability. Superman, indeed!
Sadly, Chris passed away in 2004, but his children still serve on the board of directors for the foundation, now called
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (Dana tragically passed away from cancer not long after Chris was gone). Visit the link to see all about Chris and Dana's beautiful, fruitful legacy- very inspirational.
When I stumbled upon these
Superman dog tags, it was a
must-do in my book. The money for these goes to Chris' Foundation, and the message makes sense to me now more than ever, "
Go Forward". Go Forward each day with strength, determination, and compassion. My life has changed a great deal here lately, and that has taken the kind of will that I hope Chris would be proud of. I have two working legs, two working arms, and nothing should be able to stop me from living my life to the fullest or challenging myself to be all that I can. Nothing should stop you either- don't ever let anyone tell you different! You are divine, special, and your life is worth everything- get out there and let it show, get out there and help others do the same!
Have a Prosperous and Happy New Year!
*Get your own Superman dog tags at
SupermanTag.Org!
*Check out my new
Mattel Movie Masters 12" Christopher Reeve Superman doll! Love! Totally awesome!
GREAT post man :) Chris Reeve was a true SUPERman! Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteThanx Pal, Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI've had a set of these for years! The keychain hangs on my keys, and I gave the necklace/dogtag to my Dad when he was having heart surgery.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize they were still available - I should order another set. Very cool!
I'll have to order myself a set when finances are settled. Definitely a good cause.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I'm not mistaken...wasn't Christopher Reeve a quadriplegic? I remember seeing him and his family at a few ceremonies before NY Rangers games, and he had that tube at his side.. Even without the Superman suit on, he's still a hero in my book.
OOoops- you are CORRECT, Jason- he was quadriplegic. Corrected. Thanks for bringing my attention to that- as much as I comb over these before publishing, I still miss some mistakes...
ReplyDelete