The fictional Superman could only be injured by kryptonite. Clark Kent flew through the air and spent his entire life saving Lois Lane. The real Superman suffered for the last nine years of his life as a quadriplegic. Christopher Reeve spent his last years speaking to millions of people across the world about his condition, and attempting to raise awareness and money for spinal cord research.
Christopher Reeve, who died Saturday in Pound Ridge, N.Y. of a heart attack caused by complications from a pressure wound, vowed he would one day walk again. He had contemplated suicide after his May 1995 horseback-riding injury that would change the rest of his life. But he garnered comfort from the immense support of family and friends, including his wife who wrote to him, \I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you. And I love you.""
Reeve, who stood in opposition to President Bush's federally funded ban on embryonic stem cell research, once said, ""I consider myself a spokesman for people who can't call the president or a senator or testify before Congress."" He toured the country, raising millions of dollars for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, in hopes of one day finding a cure to his devastating condition.
With the election just 18 days away, many will claim the Democrats are exploiting the death of Reeve as a way to promote the issue of stem cell research. To those people, I say this is not a political or partisan issue, but rather one that deals with something that should be free of political ideology: human life.
Christopher Reeve suffered from unimaginable pain, frustration and sadness, but had the courage to make the best of an otherwise devastating condition by dedicating his life to a noble cause. Most of us can't imagine this kind of pain, but what we all could see is that Reeve was a man who spoke the truth. No political spin. No games. No gimmicks. No misleading advertisements.
He was one man who saw incredible scientific advancements and recognized hope is alive and many diseases and conditions otherwise thought incurable can be overcome. He saw the amazing work of specialists like Dr. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin, who developed a technique to isolate and grow embryonic stem cells for the first time in 1998.
In an amazing breakthrough rarely seen before, in October 2000, Reeve gained the ability to move his index finger and experienced feeling there for the first time since his accident. He then overcame all odds and regained slight feeling in his wrist and feet as well. Christopher Reeve was fortunate to have had the money to create this hope, the fame to reach the right people and the determination and heart to keep on fighting for a cause that affects so many millions of people across the world.
The National Institute of Health has indicated that if doctors were allowed to use more embryonic stem cells in research (which have been federally banned by the Bush administration), then conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes and others would more likely be cured. According to the National Institute of Health, embryonic stem cells are preferable to adult stem cells because they have much greater developmental potential.
Christopher Reeve's death saddened many people, not because they knew him personally, but because it brought up horrifying thoughts of similar situations happening to their own loved ones. It is estimated that approximately 400,000 Americans have spinal cord injuries (with 30 new cases per day), and millions more suffer from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, diabetes and many other life threatening conditions.
This isn't about politics, but rather human life. Most embryonic stem cells will either be frozen or destroyed if we don't use them for science. Potential cures are being left untouched each day the restrictions on embryonic stem cells are not lifted. Many ""pro-lifers"" would contend that it's the destruction of the embryonic stem cell that constitutes the ""murder"" of the unborn. The whole debate about when a life begins will never end in this country, as it has been a highly contentious issue for years.
The fact remains that we need to make a priority of protecting those already alive in this world today. So I ask you to offer the millions like Christopher Reeve a glimpse of hope as they suffer with otherwise incurable diseases. Let undisputed human life take precedent over a never-ending circle of political debate and slippery moral justifications of where life begins. We can't afford to waste another minute. We must protect the born of this world now!
