A TRIBUTE TO DANA REEVE
Lynn C. Parsons, DSN, RN, CNA-BC
Dana Reeve, the 44-year-old widow of Christopher Reeve, died shortly before midnight on March 6. She leaves behind a son, Will, age 13, two step children (from Christopher’s former relationship with Gae Exton), Mathew, 26, and Alexandra, 22, her father, Dr. Charles Morosini, and two sisters, Adrienne Heilman and Dr. Deborah Huschle.
In the spring of 2005, she began her return to the stage and the entertainment world. She developed a persistent cough, had a chest x-ray and, eventually a CAT scan and biopsy. Reeve, who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, never smoked. Approximately 15% of non-smokers develop lung cancer and, of those, 60% are women. Lung cancer claims the lives of 70,000 women each year; twice the amount of women who succumb to breast cancer. This mortality statistic is rising and, for non smokers, environmental pollutants, genetics, estrogen, and second hand smoke are likely contributing factors. Dana Reeve was exposed to second hand smoke in the clubs and cabarets where she performed.
She succeeded her husband in chairing the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) when he passed away in October of 2004. Christopher sustained a C1–C2 spinal cord injury (SCI) after a 1995 horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed. Dana was a staunch supporter of her husband after the accident, one of his personal caregivers for the remaining 9 years of his life, and she was very proactive in demanding support of embryonic stem cell research. She and Christopher became activists in the search for a cure for SCI. Dana Reeve founded the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Center, which, since 1999, has awarded over $8 million to support initiatives that improve the quality of daily life for many people who must live with paralysis.
Kathy Lewis, president and chief operating officer of CRF, issued several statements following Dana’s death. She assured the general public that the work of the CRF would “GO FORWARD” (the motto of CRF), and that each person could make a difference. She went on to say that Christopher and Dana Reeve were an inspiration to many, and brought hope to millions of people around the world. Their legacy of passion, strength, and interminable courage will live on through the CRF and the countless lives that were touched by their grace and determination to find a cure for SCI.
References
Christopher Reeve Foundation, (2006). Retrieved March 28, 2006, from http://www.christopherreeve.org.
CNN Entertainment. (2006). Retrieved March 28, 2006, from http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/03/07/reeve.obit/index.html.
Lynn C. Parsons, DSN, RN, CAN-BC, is professor and director of the Middle Tennessee State University School of Nursing, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.