A book written from the heart. The story of a man of forty-five who, in a single moment, falls from a horse and leaves behind a brilliant acting career—he famously played Superman—along with his passions for flying, horseback riding, and sailing, and the full life he had built. Then comes another life, infinitely harder, entirely different: the fall broke his spine, and he became quadriplegic.
These two trajectories, told with vividness and passion down to the smallest detail, hold our attention because they reveal a man who, in the grip of illness—through its ups and downs—has kept the same vitality, creativity, and determination that had carried him to the heights of success in his first life. Now the stakes are different: preserving and deepening his bonds with family, continuing to work creatively in film (he becomes a director), studying and understanding the damage from his injury, embracing every experimental treatment and hardship in pursuit of the greatest independence possible, and placing his gifts at the service of all disabled people.
"What is a hero?" Now I know: someone who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite obstacles."
"What is a hero?" Now I know: someone who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite obstacles."He says: "When Superman came out, people would often ask me, 'What is a hero?' Now I know: it's someone who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite obstacles."
His generosity, his fame, his knowledge of the latest research on disability—all of it drives him to speak at conferences, present awards, sign petitions, and spread awareness about the need to fund cutting-edge scientific research. He founds the Christopher Reeve Foundation, created to raise funds for medical research aimed at finding an effective cure and, ultimately, healing spinal cord paralysis, to give voice to all disabled people, and to support programs that improve the quality of life for everyone living with disability.
The book's title, Still Me, refers to the first words his wife spoke to him right after the accident: "You're still you."
Nicole Schulthes, 1999