Still Me (Random House Large Print)

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When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?'  I remember the glib response I repeated so many times.  My answer was that 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.  And I also meant individuals who are slightly larger than life: Houdini and Lindbergh, John Wayne, JFK, and Joe DiMaggio.  Now my definition is completely different.  I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles: a fifteen-year-old boy who landed on his head while wrestling with his brother, leaving him barely able to swallow or speak; Travis Roy, paralyzed in the first thirty seconds of a hockey game in his freshman year at college.  These are real heroes, and so are the families and friends who have stood by them."

The whole world held its breath when Christopher Reeve struggled for life on Memorial Day, 1995.  On the third jump of a riding competition, Reeve was thrown headfirst from his horse in an accident that broke his neck and left him unable to move or breathe.

In the years since then, Reeve has not only survived, but has fought for himself, for his family, and for the hundreds of thousands of people with spinal cord injuries in the United States and around the world.  And he has written Still Me, the heartbreaking, funny, courageous, and hopeful story of his life.

Chris describes his early success on Broadway opposite the legendary Katherine Hepburn, the adventure of filming Superman on the streets of New York, and how the movie made him a star.  He continued to move regularly between film acting and theater work in New York, Los Angeles, and at the WIlliamstown Theatre Festival in the Berkshires.  Reunited with his Bostonians director, James Ivory, in 1992, he traveled to England to work with Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day.

The Man who cannot move has not stopped moving.  He has established a charitable foundation to raise awareness and money for research on spinal cord injuries.  His work as director of the HBO film In the Gloaming earned him an Emmy nomination, one of five that the film received.  His speeches at the Democratic National Convention and the Academy Awards inspired people around the country and the world.  He has testified before Congress on behalf of health insurance legislation, lobbied for increased federal funding for spinal cord research, and developed a working relationship with President Clinton.

With dignity and sensitivity, he describes the journey he has made--physically, emotionally, spiritually.  He explores his complex relationship with his parents, his efforts to remain a devoted husband and father, and his continuing and heroic battle to rebuild his life.

This is the determined, passionate story of one man, a gifted actor and star, and how he and his family came to grips with the kind of devastating, unexplainable shock that fate can bring to any of us.  Chris and Dana Reeve have gathered the will and the spirit to create a new life, one responsive and engaged and focused on the future.

Christopher Reeve played Superman in the series of four films.  He starred opposite Katherine Hepburn in A Matter of Gravity, in Lanford Wilson's Fifth of July, and then appeared in many films, including The Remains of the Day and The Bostonians for Merchant Ivory as well as Death Trap, Somewhere in Time, Streetsmart, and the HBO movie Above Suspicion.  He is also the President of the Christopher Reeve Foundation.  Reeve, his wife Dana, and their son Will live in Bedford, New York.

THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE FOUNDATION

Founded in 1996, the mission of the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) is to raise funds for medical research leading to the effective treatment and, ultimately, a cure for spinal cord injury paralysis.  CRF also provides grants to local organizations that focus on the quality-of-life issues for the disabled, and it serves as a source of information and a voice for all people with disabilities.

The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) stands at an historic crossroads of spinal cord research, determination and hope.  Together, we know that it will be possible to repair the damaged spinal cord.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN PARALYSIS ASSOCIATION

The CRF wisely partners with APA to direct its funds into proven research channels, including a collaborative network of over 300 investigators around the world.  Together, the two non-profit organizations provide support for many of the seminal studies that will culminate in continued medical breakthroughs.

For more information on CRF and its activities:

The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF)
P.O. Box 277
F.D.R. Station
New York, NY  10150-0277

(888) 711-HOPE
(973) 912-9433 (fax)