I was saddened by news that the star of Superman, Christopher Reeve passed away on Sunday of heart failure, after being in coma on Saturday.
Reeve was active in many sports and owned several horses. In an equestrian event in May 1995, he was flung to the ground causing damage to the spinal cord and thus paralysed neck down. In the first dark days after the accident, he had contemplated suicide but banished such thoughts after seeing his children. Subsequently he became a passionate advocate for spinal cord research.
Despite having acted in and directed other films like Village of the Damned, people will remember him most for his excellent role as the comic book hero Superman. Some people I know have even mixed up the alter-ego of Superman for Christopher Reeve and not Clark Kent. Just like the character, Reeve was somewhat like a real life Superman after surviving the horseback accident, coming back with such a strong will and encouraging others; a perfect role model till the end.
In the comic, apart from all his super powers, deep inside he is portrayed as a human just like the rest of us. In some ways Reeve has shown us that even Superman is mortal. While it may be wonderful to imagine what it is like to have all those super powers, Superman was more than that; he stood for qualities like courage, determination and even modesty.
For all the things Reeve, the true Superman in my heart, stood for, I salute him! Perhaps he just flew off to some other plane of existence to save others. Up, up and away!
2 comments:
OMG!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!? SUPERMAN died?!?!?!? You're kidding. omg.... wow.
That's a shock to the system. Obviously I've been hiding from the news, all wrapped up in cotton wool yet again.
I've seen all the superman movies. I remember watching them for the first time when I was young, sitting in front of the tv in the lounge room. I always fell asleep in the first movie. Oh wait, or was it the second? Anyway, there's one Superman movie that I've never watchd the whole way through.
I was saddened when he had that riding accident. It was such a pity to have your life effectively thrown away like that over something like a fall from a horse.
I've always found him a very brave individual, fighting for his illness, and encouraging medical research etc. I still remember when he attended the oscars, and the entire audience gave him a standing ovation (which is kinda ironic when you think about it, 'look at me! i can stand! and you can't! ner ner!) sorry. I'm a little stressed tonight, so forgive the craziness that comes across in the comments tonight.
My condolences go out to his family. Death is always such a horrendous trauma to go through.
It's almost like how can such a freak accident happen to such a nice person?
Yet it is indeed commendable how he had fought his disabilities. If it was me in his shoes, i don't think i can be that brave. Sometimes i wonder if we truly take our well-being for granted.
From the words of Reeve: "I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don't mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recover."And from Dr. John McDonald, who treated him: "Before him there was really no hope. If you had a spinal cord injury like his there was not much that could be done, but he's changed all that. He's demonstrated that there is hope and that there are things that can be done." after Reeve miraculously managed to move his index finger in 2000.
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