He Walked the Talk

We all tend to gape at accidents. Because Christopher Reeve was familiar to us as a movie star -- as Superman, of all characters -- his fall from a balking horse nine years ago riveted us more than most. In the instant that his neck snapped, the strappingly handsome “man of steel” became the man who could not move or even breathe on his own.

What a tale of fortune’s fickleness. But Reeve, it turned out, didn’t stick with that script. Until he died Sunday at 52 of complications from an infected bedsore (a constant worry for quadriplegics), what continued to hold our attention was not the tragedy but his amazing grace and grit afterward.

He became a super-advocate for more research on spinal cord injuries, including, most recently, research using embryonic stem cells. Celebrities with causes have become something of a cliche these days. Reeve -- so to speak -- walked the talk. With rigorous physical therapy, he accomplished what was believed impossible at the time for so severe an injury: He moved his index finger and breathed for stretches without a ventilator. His steely perseverance inspired those doing the research to try harder.

Reeve used his fame to spotlight the courage of others with severe disabilities and to push for better insurance coverage for those unable to pay for nurses, aides and top doctors like the ones he had. He continued to support causes besides the one that so personally affected him and to work as an actor and director. In two aptly titled memoirs, “Still Me” and “Nothing Is Impossible,” he talked about how the accident taught him patience and forgiveness, how it didn’t paralyze his sense of self -- or of humor.

He was a role model and an inspiration, and not just for those with physical disabilities. He may not have walked again, as he’d vowed to do, but he soared nonetheless.