On May 27, 1995, Christopher Reeve was competing in a cross-country steeple chase event near Culpepper Virginia when his horse crashed into a jump. From the devastating injury he received there, Christopher emerged in personal triumph as one of the most powerful icons of the 20th Century. Inspired by his courage, and the fact that Christopher never blamed his horse, Orange County philanthropist Joan Irvine Smith started the campaign to establish a Research Center for Spinal Cord Injury in Christopher's name, which culminated in the establishment of the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
In the years following his injury, Christopher did more to promote research on spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders than any other person before or since. He single-handedly brought visibility and inspiration to a field that had labored for years in relative obscurity. He visited the Reeve-Irvine Center on many occasions, and was always incredibly well-informed about the latest advances. "When...?" he would always ask, and made us at least think about whether an answer was possible. In that most friendly of ways, he held our feet to the fire, reminding us that to make progress, you had to know where you wanted to go.
It is often said that Christopher put a human face on the devastating problems of spinal cord injury. But even more than that, he put a human face on the image of a cure, and made sure that all of us kept that vision in front of us at all times.
Anyone who has ever been in a room with Chris or listened to him speak knows the power of his voice. His voice could bring hope to those who have suffered without hope for years, move legislators to increase funding for biomedical research, change the perceptions and expectations of physicians and scientists about the possibility of a cure, and change the way our society views ability and disability.
The voice is now stilled, but the power of his vision is a daily inspiration to all of us here at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.
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