Inside Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
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Become an AdvocateWhile “Super/Man” centers on Christopher’s story, its heart lies with Dana, whose steady presence as a mother, wife and caregiver holding the family together is quietly felt in frame after frame. For Will, the film’s recognition of his mother’s impact – not only for her role within the family, but for founding the National Paralysis Resource Center in 2002 – is as critical as its tribute to his father.
“You can't tell the full story of Christopher Reeve without telling the story of Dana Reeve,” he says. “My mom was a singular force in the world. She was thrust into this unfamiliar, terrifying situation as a young woman with a young child, and all of her hopes and dreams for the future changed in an instant. But instead of retreating, she not only took care of me and our dad and our family but realized she had a platform to help other people in similar situations. With the NPRC, she took what she knew and had learned, and the resources she had, and she deployed them in a meaningful way that has impacted untold numbers of lives.”
Will is proud of the way the film portrays both of his parents, and especially with the attention it pays to the past and present advocacy work of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. To date, the Reeve Foundation has raised approximately $145 million for spinal cord injury research; the National Paralysis Resource Center has helped more than 130,850 people living with paralysis and distributed over $44 million in Quality of Life Grants throughout the U.S.
“The Reeve Foundation is a central element of my parents’ legacy,” Will says. “My siblings and I were intent on showing the good work that the Foundation did during my parents’ lifetimes, has done since their deaths, and will continue to do as far into the future as it needs to exist.”
That, too, was the point of sharing their family’s story: from the birthday party in the ICU lounge and the late-night moments spent with their dad drinking coffee to their efforts to help other families living with paralysis, Christopher and Dana were determined to make the best of the hand they were dealt.
“Many of the themes in this film are universal,” Alexandra says, adding, “Our family demonstrated by example that you don't sit and dwell. You try and find those moments of light, even in the darkness.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is screening in theaters across the country on September 21 and September 25 via Fathom Events. Read more about it on the Reeve Foundation website at ChristopherReeve.org/superman