Christopher Reeve’s life was tragically cut short, but his legacy lives on through his son Will.
Will was only 12 years old when his famous father died in 2004, but their bond is still strong. Only 17 months later, tragedy struck again when his mother, Dana, died. Will was raised by local family friends in Bedford, New York, but he cherished his family.
“I try to honor my parents’ legacy in everything I do,” Reeve says. “I want their names to live on.”
Christopher Reeve became a disabled-rights activist after becoming paralyzed when Will was three years old in 1995. Over the next ten years, he and his wife Dana would raise millions of dollars, the majority of which would be invested in stem-cell research.
Christopher had three children. Matthew and Alexandra with Gae Exton, and youngest son, Will, with wife Dana. All three have kept his legacy alive through their work with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Will prepares for and runs the New York City Marathon in support of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. One of his goals was to complete the marathon in memory of his parents. His other goal was to raise $35,000 for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, of which he serves on the board. Reeve jokes that he’s been talking about doing this marathon for years, but he always says he’ll do it “next year.”
“Finally, I realized, ‘What kind of example am I setting when many of the people I advocate for in the spinal-injury world would do anything just to be able to step up to the starting line?”
Reeve participated in the marathon with a team of about 50 people.
Reeve says he was inspired by his parents during the race.
Will Reeve has gotten a lot of attention as of late, not only for doing his part to keep the family legacy alive but for looking like his late father! Here he is at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation “Magical Evening” Gala last November.
CBS appearance Will read a heartfelt note addressed to his 13-year-old self in this morning’s series Note to Self, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“The bad news is that you’ve reached rock bottom in your life. “You’re in a New York City hospital room, and you’ve just said your final goodbye to Mom,” he read. “You’re 13. She’s 44. Cancer of the lungs. I’ve never smoked. Gone, just like Dad, who died a year and a half ago, when you were at your lowest point. Now you’ve hit rock bottom, and you’re terrified, confused, and sad.”
Will continues: “But! Here’s the good news: this is the low point. There’s nowhere to go but up, and that’s exactly where you’re headed.
You will always remember the good stuff. Dad in the driveway teaching you how to ride a bike just by telling you what to do, you trusting him so fully that you just do it. Mom’s singing voice filling the air with sweetness at home and in the car to school.”
Perhaps you weren’t aware that Will had also tried his hand in acting when he was younger. He acted in movies such as In the Gloaming (1997), The Brooke Ellison Story (2004), and Everyone’s Hero (2006).
In an interview with Jeff Pearlman, Will answered poignant question that I have wondered myself.
What do you think? Do they look alike?
