Ellison runs for N.Y. seat

Brooke Ellison, whose struggle with paralysis was the subject of a 2004 TV movie directed by Christopher Reeve, is seeking a seat in the New York state Senate.

Ellison, a Democrat, says she wants to address the lack of affordable housing for young adults on Long Island, dwindling open space and environmental protections, and New York’s failure to fund embryonic stem-cell research, among other issues.

“The Brooke Ellison Story,” starring Lacey Chabert, was based on the book “Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey,” written by Ellison and her mother, Jean Ellison.

In 1990, at age 11, Ellison was hit by a car while walking home from school. The accident left her paralyzed from her neck down and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Ten years later, she graduated from Harvard with honors.

The story resonated with Reeve, the “Superman” star who was left paralyzed after a horseback riding accident in 1995. The film was the last project he completed before dying in 2004. It aired on the A&E; Network.

Ellison is currently studying for a doctoral degree in political psychology at SUNY Stony Brook.