Christopher Reeve's legacy

This week, the world lost its most vocal advocate for paralysis research, Christopher Reeve.

Reeve's injury profile is among the most devastating injury profiles in modern medical history. His 1995 accident damaged his spine at the highest vertebra on his spinal column: the cervical one vertebra, known as C1. In most cases, the victim of a C1 spinal cord injury dies within 24 hours of injury. For most of those who survive this level of injury, ventilator dependency and total paralysis from the neck down become a daily realty. My injury is at the cervical five and six vertebra, which is fairly close to Reeve's injury level on the spinal column. That being said, the level of function our injuries afford us is so different that I cannot imagine the level of struggle Reeve experienced daily.

Despite his severe paralysis, Reeve dedicated a large portion of his post injury life to finding a cure for paralysis. The former actor testified before Congress, gave frequent interviews to the media and raised millions for spinal cord injury research, all in an effort to make his dream of walking again a reality. If Reeve's legacy were confined to his acting career and advocacy efforts, much of the public would conclude that Reeve was a great individual.

But confining Christopher Reeve's legacy to his advocacy efforts and acting career overlooks what makes Reeve's life truly extraordinary: Despite his paralysis, Reeve continued, as best he could, to live life as he would have if he were not paralyzed. After his injury, Reeve continued to be a husband, father, actor and director — all the things he was before his riding accident.

Some spinal cord injury patients who live recover from the initial physical trauma of the injury: The person is paralyzed, the body has adjusted. But not every patient makes a full emotional recovery. Instead of continuing to actively participate in society — by working, serving, pursuing interests, fulfilling familial commitments — many decide to withdraw from society and wait for a cure, possibly decades away. Although this response to a SCI may sound irrational and therefore ridiculous, it is a response that I have too often observed mentally "paralyze" individuals, making their lives filled with anticipation but without meaning.

Please understand that I am not against anticipating a cure for paralysis. I believe, however, that if anticipating a cure for paralysis comes at the cost of active societal participation, then that cost is too high to pay.

This week as Reeve is eulogized, please remember that his devotion to living life despite his paralysis is the central feature of Christopher Reeve's legacy. Reeve's life was a victory over paralysis; for although the spinal cord injury paralyzed his body, it did not paralyze his will to live. David Mann-Podradsky is an economics major from Yardley, Penn. He can be reached at dmann@princeton.edu.