A message from Will Reeve: Join me on Team Reeve - Blog - Reeve Foundation

I was never a runner. In fact, I would do whatever I had to avoid running. But when I joined the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and really dug into what it means to uphold the Foundation's dual missions of Today's Care and Tomorrow's Cure, I realized I had to step up to represent Team Reeve. How could I cheer from the sidelines while others lace up and raise funds to support the Reeve Foundation? I needed to join the race.

In 2016, I signed up for the TCS New York City Marathon with Team Reeve. To be completely candid, I didn't think I could handle training for a marathon, let alone finish one. But then, as I often do, I thought of my mom, Dana, resolute in her commitment to all people and things, integrity and reliability personified. I thought of my dad, Chris, rising at dawn for hours of physical therapy and training in the converted gym in our home, working endlessly, looking every day at the poster on the windowsill that proclaimed: "For all those who said I shouldn't do it, for all those who said I couldn't do it, for everyone who said, "It's impossible," see you at the finish line." Running 26.2 miles didn't seem so impossible after all.

I thought of my parents every step of the way in my journey to train for and run the New York City Marathon. Whenever I was tired, or the weather was bad, or I just wanted to hang out with my friends, I thought of my parents and their commitment to their ultimate life's work of finding cures for spinal cord injuries and the legacy they left that I've sworn to uphold, and I'd go out and run. When I crossed the finish line on race day, I knew that I had made them proud, not only because I completed a marathon, but because by doing so I had made an impact on their dream of a world of empty wheelchairs.

Joining Team Reeve made me realize that I could tangibly move our mission forward through my participation and actions. Running for Team Reeve was a personal goal; raising thousands of dollars for the Reeve Foundation in the process was something much bigger.

So, it's with great excitement that I announce my new role as Captain of Team Reeve. As Captain, I will work to recruit supporters and raise critically needed funds and awareness for individuals living with paralysis. From Tough Mudders to marathons to social gatherings in your hometown, the opportunities to make a difference through Team Reeve are limitless.

Join me and together let's change the world for the millions of families impacted by paralysis.

See you at the Finish Line,

Will Reeve
Team Reeve Captain
Board Member, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation