Christopher Reeve Becoming A "Superman"..

Lost Cause

It's a wrap!
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This should show people that nothing is over until YOU say it's over! Way to go Chris!

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Christopher Reeve has regained some movement and sensation in his hands and feet, seven years after a horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, one of his doctors said Tuesday.

The "Superman" star also can breathe on his own for about an hour at a time, said Dr. John McDonald, a Washington University neurologist who has been treating Reeve.

"Nobody can tell if Christopher or anyone (with such an injury) will walk."

Reeve had hoped to walk by his 50th birthday, Sept. 25.
"To be able to feel just the lightest touch is really a gift," he said. "The fact is that even if your body doesn't work the way it used to, the heart and the mind and the spirit are not diminished. It's as simple as that."

Reeve can move his right wrist, the fingers on his left hand and his toes. He can feel a pinprick on most parts of his body and can tell the difference between sharp and dull.

Reeve documents his progress in a new book, "Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life," and in an ABC program that will air Sept. 18.

Reeve exercises an average of three hours a week on a special computerized bicycle that sends electrical messages to his legs.

While such workouts help build muscle mass, bone density and cardiovascular health, McDonald hopes it will encourage spinal cord cells to "remember" what it's like to be involved in leg movements.

In the past three years, Reeve has not been hospitalized, can speak louder and longer, and has had only a few minor medical complications.

:D :D :rose: :rose: :rose: :rose:
 
I read that earlier today on the AP wire. I'm rooting for him and anyone else with a spinal injury... after such a long time for him... it is great to hear some good news about his condition.
 
This is the story that gave ME so much encouragement today, concerning my brothers severe spinal injury that happened this morning. (was it a sign, was I meant to see it?)

The best part is we live very near to Washington University, and it's possible that we can get him into their studies for spinal cord injuries.

Lo
 
It is amazing. I hope he walks on his own in a couple years, which is his goal.

Interesting, but, I know a quadraplegic who is very active in acquiring rights for the handicapped blah-blah, and she's told me that Reeve is not well thought of in quad-circles because the treatments he's advocating are not all that reliable, and may only work for a very, very few people, and it may take decades til it's perfected, and he's telling people in wheelchairs to "just believe", whereas the common wisdom is to accept your condition -- always hold out hope for reasonable treaments -- but never live pie-in-the-sky.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. I see her point, and I see his point. I just wonder how all this actually filters down to the severly handicapped community.
 
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When does "Hope" become "False hope"?

I salute Chris for his ability to deny that he is injured. I hope that his leadership can, somehow, some day, lead to advances that will help those crippled by injuries.

I am also concerned that the media "love fest" with his plight diminishes those who live with paralysis everyday.

The injuries he had dictates that, until science progresses much further than today, he will be right were he is today.

Rhumb
 
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