Christopher Reeve became synonymous with celebrity accidents when he fell from a horse and was left paralyzed from the neck down aged just 42.
His story thereafter grew to be one of resilience and courage, but also one of great tragedy. The former Superman star was left wheelchair bound for the remainder of his life, before dying aged 52 from cardiac arrest.
In a cruel twist of fate, Reeve even expressed sympathy for people who were paraplegic mere months before his horrific accident. As per reports, the iconic actor recalled in an interview on the The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1998 how he would “Thank God that’s not me” after making visits to a rehabilitation centre for disabled people.
During his interview with Oprah, Reeves, most famous for his role as Superman, confided that he had been to rehabilitation centers for disabled people so that he could “simulate” being paraplegic to better prepare for his role in the TV movie Above Suspicion.
Yet in a truly morbid set of coincidental circumstances, Reeve himself was left paralyzed from the neck down just a week after Above Suspicion aired. On May 27, 1995, the actor was riding at an equestrian event in Culpepper, Virginia when his horse refused to jump, leading to Reeve being thrown off and breaking two vertebrae in his neck.
Years later, whilst on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Reeve told Oprah of his visits to the aforementioned rehabilitation center:
“Every day I’d get in my car and drive away and go ‘Thank God that’s not me’, I have to admit that.
“And then seven months later, I was in this condition.
“And in a way, I remember the smugness of that.
“As if I was privileged in some way, but the point is we’re all one great big family and anyone of us could get hurt at any moment.
“That taught me a really big lesson.”
Reeve also opened up on the lessons his severe injuries had taught him, telling Oprah: “We should never walk by somebody who’s in a wheelchair and be afraid of them or think of them as a stranger.”
In an 1998 interview with Ability Magazine, meanwhile, the star said: “Who knows why an accident happens? The key is what do you do afterwards.
“There is a period of shock and then grieving with confusion and loss. After that, you have two choices. One is to stare out the window and gradually disintegrate.
“And the other is to mobilize and use all your resources, whatever they may be, to do something positive. That is the road I have taken.”
I for one sure miss Christopher Reeve. Not only his amazing talent in front of camera, but also the grit and determination he showed after his horrific injury.
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