Past News Reports - 2000

2000

• January 18, 2000: For the first Peter Lowe Success 2000 seminar of the year, Christopher Reeve will be in Utah on April 13th at The E Center of West Valley City. The all-day seminar which begins at 8:00am and lasts until 5:30pm also includes Picabo Street and Joe Montana as speakers.

• January 19, 2000: BBC News reported on the advancement of nerve regeneration which those with spinal cord injuries like Christopher Reeve could benefit from. Researchers at St. Thomas' Hopsital in London used the right combination of "neurotrophic factors" - proteins which encourage natural nerve growth to successfully re-grow damaged nerves in rats. The result of the neurotrophin treatment was that the rats were eventually able to feel hot water and withdraw their limbs. The report stated that: "Although their experiments only mimic one type of spinal injury, experts say there is no reason why it might not eventually lead to treatments for severed spinal cords. The projects findings were published in the scientific journal Nature which stated that their findings should allow the start of similar research in humans. But the BBC's report noted that:"...it is hard to justify such experiments unless doctors are convinced the treatment can cause no harm, and experts have warned that human treatments could be some years away. John Kavanagh, of the International Spinal Research Trust, said that doctors had to be sure the doses of neurotrophins would not, for example, cause cancers to develop as well as nerves." There was a similar report on ABC News.

  

• January 22, 2000: UK newspaper The Guardian reported on Reeve's visit to the Dome. The article titled Reeve has his 'ultimate goal' in sight stated that Reeve: "Fell in love with London when he was making the first Superman film in the city in 1977 and spent the next 10 years in the capital." Reeve said: "I am very grateful for the support and interest that people have taken in my situation. When the chips were down British people were really there for me. Britain now really feels like my second home." The report also talked of the possibility of human trials for spinal cord repair. Reeve said: "People ask me when I would get a trial - it will be other people first. I have a very high level injury. If anything were to go wrong it would set back progress 10 years. They will start the trials with people with lower level injuries. Then over the next five years scientists will move to tackle paralysis. I will come in the third phase." On his aim of breathing without a ventilator, Reeve said: "You know the doctors said to me I would never breathe again. I love it when doctors say that. My competitive spirit kicks in. I don't take no for an answer." The report revealed that Reeve plans a third film production set to begin in the autumn/fall when the shooting of Heartbreaker is complete. On the Dome, Reeve said that it was, "Very very uplifiting - fantastic, overwhelming. I was blown away. It's definetly the way to make an entrance." Reeve said his son Will was: "Over the moon about the whole thing. I love to see the joy on children's faces when they see something that is a mixture of fantasy, magic, and circus all under one roof. The scale is bigger than anything I had imagined."

  

• January 22, 2000: BBC News reported that actor Christopher Reeve, accompanied by his wife Dana, daughter Alexandra, and son Will, visited the Millennium Dome in London today. The actor flew to Britain in secret earlier in the week for his first trip abroad since his accident. At the Dome Reeve watched a display of dance and gymnastics and spoke to some of the dancers involved in the show. Reeve said: "It was overwhelming, a feast through the eyes and ears. I do not know how long it took to put together but it was amazing." Reeve's main purpose of the visit was to speak at a private fund-raising dinner in aid of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. During a press conference at the Dome Reeve said it was sheer competition that drives his fight with his injury stating: "I compete with myself all the time". He also attacked internet millionaires for not investing enough of their fortune into research. Reeve said: "They literally have more money than they know what to do with. There are too many young millionaires isolating themselves from society, with no sense of charity." BBC News also reported that whilst in Britain Reeve met up with Zurich-based spinal cord injuries expert Martin Schwab. Reeve said: "He flew over from Zurich to meet me. The very exciting news is that he'll be ready for human trials in 18 months. Five years ago that would've been unthinkable. That's very encouraging." Reeve also revealed that he is on a programme to come off the ventilator and breathe on his own: "I'm working with two doctors from the University of Florida and every day they give me an assignment, and then I email them, and they give me the next day's assignment. If they tell me: "Tommorow, breathe for 80 minutes off the hose, I go for 90," Carrying out such tasks has helped Reeve to regain the use of his diaphragm.

• January 23, 2000: UK newspaper The Sunday Times featured a photo of Christopher Reeve and his daughter Alexandra at the Millennium Dome on the front page, and published an article titled, Reeve reveals hope of cure for paralysis. The report noted Reeve's trip to the Dome and his meeting with scientist Martin Schwab to discuss human trials for curing paralysis. Despite the fact that Reeve would not be among the first to undergo the trials because of the high level of his injury he said that the news was, "Amazingly encouraging. Since I have already done five years in the chair, I can wait another four or five. Recovery is now not only possible but probable." The article stated that one of the dancers from the Millennium Dome show was 19-year old wheelchair user Colin White who has Ehler's Danlos Syndrome. He said: "It was fantastic to meet him as he has always been my hero. I even had a Superman suit as a kid." Reeve was a welcome visitor to the Dome, a spokeman said: "We are very very grateful. This is a huge boost."

• January 23, 2000: While in England, Christopher Reeve did another candid interview with Sir David Frost for his show Breakfast with Frost that aired on this day. When Frost asked Reeve what his personal timetable is now and reminded him that he said that he thinks he will be on able to stand by his 50th birthday, Reeve said that he has "been so misquoted on that it drives me nuts." Frost then let him put is right for all time. Then Reeve said, "They say I vow to walk by my 50th birthday. I mean, who am I to feel that? What I said is that I hope that by my 50th birthday I will be able to stand and toast everybody. That probably will not happen that quickly. But the way the timetable is going now is that within the next four or five years I should begin to start the process of recovery. And full recovery is not only possible, but probable." As part of his move towards a full recovery, Reeve said, 'I'm trying to get rid of his breathing hose. I'm now on a program where if I work very, very hard, I may be able to get off this hose within a year." Reeve added, "That would be a gift because, you know, this is not a very nice necktie." His determination to walk again by funding research and getting leading scientists to work together is often dismissed by others. Reeve said, "People sort of looked at me as if, you know, 'Poor guy, he's delusional.'" Reeve is also calling on some of the world's wealthiest businessmen and women to follow the example of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and give away large parts of their fortunes in support research in spinal cord injuires. Reeve said, "Most of the new generation of billionaires have no charity plan...In the 19th and early 20th century the Carnegies and Rockefellers gave to society in big ways -funding libraries and universities...They felt a responsibility to their culture. I'm hoping this new money can also be harnessed in good ways." A complete transcript is available.

• January 25, 2000: UK newspaper the Evening Standard published an article titled, Saving the Dome...it looks like a job for Superman, in response to reports that Reeve was paid to visit the attraction. Dome promoters revealed that the New Millennium Experience Company paid a "proportion" of his travel costs. A spokesman for the Dome said: "We made a contribution along with the Rothschild Bank. We were contacted by Mr.Reeve's people not the other way around. However we were happy to accomodate his visit which given his disabilities required special provisions." The spokesman refused to reveal how much had been contributed to the cost of Reeve's travel expenditure, and that it had not concealed the payment made to Reeve, but rather had not been asked. When questioned as to whether any other celebrites would be treated in the same way the spokesman stated: "That is impossible to prophey." The article stated: "Mr. Reeve's son [Matthew] who lives in London had suggested that his father would enjoy seeing the Dome while in Britain for family and medical reasons." The article quoted Reeve as saying: "It was an amazing spectacle. I had heard of the Dome from friends in London and was blown away by it...The first time I came to England was to shoot Superman and this brings it all back." There was a similar report from BBC News in which a spokesman for the New Millennium Experience Company said: "We agreed to fund a small proportion - of his [Reeve's] expenses from the US. We do not pay celebrities to visit the Dome."

  

• January 25, 2000: Nuveen Investments will have a futuristic commerical air on Sunday, January 30th during the traditionally hyped Super Bowl XXXIV, showing a digitally enhanced image of Christopher Reeve walking. The message being anything can happen with money, research and technology. Reeve said in a statement about the commercial, "The Nuveen commercial is a motivating vision of something that can actually happen. Most scientists agree that with enough money and talent focused on spinal cord repair, the goal of walking within the foreseeable future is a very real possibility. I was pleased to be involved in this spot because the message is that all of us must give back to society and leave our mark in some unique way." In the ad, Reeve appears to rise to help present an award for research that produces a cure for spinal-cord injuries. "In the future, so many amazing things will happen in the world," a narrator says. "What amazing thing can you make happen?" The tagline: "Invest well. Leave your mark." The two 30-second spots, for which ABC-TV is asking about $4 million, is the first Super Bowl ad for the 101-year-old, Chicago-based company. Nuveen is spending the money to highlight its shift from a sleepy municipal bond underwriter to a money manager for brokers and advisers.

• January 26, 2000: Christopher and Dana Reeve will join Gloria Estefan, Jane Seymour, Robert Loggia and many others in Vail, Colorado on Saturday, March 11, for the second annual Hope in Motion dinner to benefit the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Sponsored by the Vail Valley Foundation and hosted by former President Gerald R. Ford, it is the highlight of the 18th annual American Ski Classic which features former Olympic and World Champion skiers competing in downhill races. The dinner will be held at the Hyatt Regency Beaver Creek at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for Hope in Motion are $200 per person. For more information, please contact the Vail Valley Foundation at (970) 949-1999.

• January 29, 2000: An exhibition of photos by famed celebrity photographer Herb Ritts is on view at the Fondation Cartier in Paris until March. Over 15,000 people have seen the show there since it opened in December. An enormous black and white photo of Christopher Reeve is one of several in a room which is the emotional climax of the exhibit. The exhibition of Ritt's photographs has been traveling to various sites around the world since it opened at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on October 22, 1996.

  

• January 31-February 1, 2000: During a two part interview on Good Morning America, Christopher Reeve told Diane Sawyer that he immediately said "Yes" to doing the Nuveen commercial and thought it appropriate that the sponser is an investment company because "What we need is more intelligent, more thoughtful investment." He added: "OK, it's all right to make money, but then leave your mark. You leave a legacy. Leave your mark. Give back." Reeve joked that his only criticism of the ad is that "I'm a little stockier than I'd like. But that's just my own personal vanity." Of those who are critical of the ad, Reeve said: "The biggest problem actually is people who have been in a chair for a very long time because in order to survive psychologically they have had to accept 'Okay, I'm going to spend my life in a chair.' So I get shots from some of them, you know, that -- that I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, I'm certainly not an expert, but I have access to the experts and they're not going to lie. So everybody has to believe whatever they want to believe." Reeve feels a cure for spinal injuries will involve the use of stem cells, saying: "They're sort of a body's self-repair kit, and these are cells that are totally immature and capable of becoming anything. And what's amazing is that you only need 10 percent of the fibers that are originally there in order to have motor function again....I'm very glad that I can say I'm not just out there to say, 'please help get me out of the chair,' but I'm trying to bring awareness that stem cells will cure a host of diseases because of their ability to become so many things." Reeve also spoke of the psychological challenges of spinal cord injuries saying: "The biggest trap is thinking that your life is over. And it's particularly tough on kids. The number one cause of spinal cord injuries is car accidents, but number two is sports, so it's kids diving into swimming pools, it's kids on trampolines." At the conclusion of the interview, Sawyer announced that Reeve would participate in a live Chat. A transcript is available.

• February 1, 2000: BBC Ceefax published an article titled, Controversy over Christopher Reeve Ad. The report stated: "A computer faked image of paralysed actor Christopher Reeve walking in an advert has cause controversy in the US. In the advert, set in the future, Reeve is seen rising from a chair and walking to a stage to present an award. The National Spinal Cord Injury Association is concerned that the advert might raise expectations unreasonably. But Reeve says it portrays something that, "is a very real possibility."

• February 1, 2000: During a discussion of the Superbowl commercials, host Matt Lauer described the Nuveen commercial as "getting a lot of people's attention this morning....This one obviously grabbed a lot of people by the heart." The advertising reporter from USA Today said this about the Reeve ad: "Several people in our audience burst into applause with the commercial. It really connected on an emotional level. It is also a rarity in Superbowl advertising. Most of the real good performers are party commercials, commercial jokes, commercials that make you laugh. This is not a laugher. This is a serious message that went over very well."

• February 1, 2000: For his second Live Chat online, Christopher Reeve talked to ABCNews.com as Diane Sawyer mentioned. During the chat Reeve said about the commercial Reeve, "When I saw the ad, I was very impressed by the dignity of it - the quality of the production and the simplicity. Something I insisted on was that I be accompanied by other people who had also recovered, and you see them coming out with me. So it's not just about Christopher Reeve, the celebrity, recovering, but casting myself as a leader of a worldwide movement. I did think the ad was very tastefully done, and I appreciate the fact that Nuveen and the ad agency consulted with me about the commercial at every step of the way." When asked how his family felt about the commercial, Reeve said "My family reacted in very much the same way as I did. We were all quite uplifted by the sight of me on my feet again, although I have to admit that the body they used is not very much like mine. It was apparently an actor who came in to the audition and said he had been my double in movies before. But actually that wasn't true. Actors will do anything to get a job! If the part calls for scuba-diving, any actor will say that they scuba-dived to get the part! So the only thing we sort of laughed at a little bit was the body that my head was put on. I don't think anybody else would have noticed, but that's not really my body type. Overall, I think the whole picture was very effective, and nobody else would notice." When asked how people with spinal cord injuries can help him with his quest, Reeve said "I think the most useful way that you can help is to write a letter of support or email a letter to our foundation. The best way to do that is to log on to the Internet and go to www.paralysis.org, and that will lead you to everything about our foundation. It is very important that we hear from people all over the world who are in the same condition, so that when I testify before a Senate committee, or approach large companies for donations, they know that I'm not speaking for myself, but only as a representative of others like me around the world. So please feel free to send your support our way. Every email and every letter is read and catalogued by our staff and we are very grateful for any comments and especially any donations, no matter how small, that come our way." As part of his closing remarks Reeve said, "Once again, let me say how grateful I am for the support that I and my family have gotten over the last five years. Even if I don't hear specifically from individuals, I can feel such positive energy coming from everywhere, and this makes a tremendous difference, so I just want to say thank you again and much love to all the friends and strangers out there who have done so much for us."

• February 2, 2000: BBC News reported that there is further controversy over the recent computer animated advert featuring Christopher Reeve. The report stated: "A controversial TV advert showing paralysed actor Christopher Reeve "walking" has fooled many people into believing he has been cured it is claimed... Now it has emerged that some paralysed people have been phoning organisations to ask how Reeve was cured."

  

• February 2, 2000: This statement by Christopher Reeve about doing the Nuveen commerical was read on the Today show: "The reason I participated in the Nuveen Super Bowl commercial was because research is advancing at a remarkable pace. Scientists tell me constantly that the only thing slowing down the progress towards a cure is not enough funding. But all of them agree that a cure for spinal cord injury paralysis can be achieved in the foreseeable future. It is time that we create positive images about the miracles that scientific research can bring. Americans crave this hope. Negativism or dashing hopes never cured a disease, whether it's conquering AIDS, breast cancer or spinal cord injury paralysis. My hope is that people will be energized by the power of the story in this commercial. It is a vision of what can actually happen."

  

• February 3, 2000: At the Kentucky House Chamber, Christopher Reeve spoke to an overflow crowd that included about a dozen people on the House floor in wheelchairs offering hope for a cure for spinal injuries. After arriving a little late Reeve joked, "I'm sorry that I'm a little bit late, but when I used to get around on my own, I could be on time -- I flew myself," he said. "Kentucky has really shown the way," Reeve said, noting that Ohio, Virginia, New York and New Jersey have since passed laws modeled after Kentucky's. "You did this in 1994, which was relatively speaking still the Dark Ages" as far as public funding for such research. "To have that leap of faith... showed a visionary thinking that is truly inspirational." Reeve also challenged the lawmakers to provide money for wheelchairs and make buildings more accessible for the disabled. Reeve said he's working to see every state pass similar laws and for spinal researchers to form partnerships to share knowledge. He dismissed pessimism about the possibility of a cure for paralysis, saying that the same doubts were once cast on finding a vaccine for polio and for putting a man on the moon. Reeve compared the fight to raise money to cure paralysis to the struggle to get federal funding for AIDS research by saying it wasn't until AIDS patients' families sewed a giant quilt in Washington that federal funding began. Kentucky's law "is the equivalent of the quilt," Reeve said. "We have to get more states to follow your example." Reeve winked at the crowd and cautioned them not to become overzealous. "Don't do 90 down the highway just to help me out," he said. He said that businesses must do more to bring the disabled into the workplace, and not leave them at home or in nursing homes. Reeve received a standing ovation as he left. Kentucky's law dedicates fines for seat-belt violations and a $12.50 surcharge on speeding tickets to research at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Last year, the fund accumulated $3.4 million.

• February 11, 2000: Business Week Online published a refreshing article that assessed both sides of the controversy that has surrounded the Nueveen commercial featuring Christopher Reeve. The report written by John Williams states: "By virtue of his fame and personality, Reeve's role as a spokesman for the disabled community was thrust upon him. He could easily have become a recluse and said, "No, I do not want that role." He did not." Assessing the contreversy surrounding the commercial Williams admitted to being upset, but when seeing it again, had second thoughts, "This was really a Big Idea, an emotional momment packaged with a thought provoking message - the importance of hope, the importance of investing in the future and in technology that could open the floodgates of opportunity for disabled people worldwide." Williams argues that the there are a number of reasons for the negative backlash from the commercial: "Part of the reaction seems to derive from the fact that Reeve was paid for his appearance.... The other factor that seems to be at work is a tinge of jealously. Reeve has captured the spotlight, even though he has been disabled for "only" four years.... This is insulting to Reeve." Williams states: "I believe the message from Christopher Reeve is that investing in technology is really investing in human development. This is a legacy that will help future generations. Is Reeve a rich, deluded glory-seeker? No. I say he's a courageous risk-taker." The report prompted much feedback (over 300 emails) most of which praised the report for looking at both sides of the arguement. One person wrote: "After seeing the ad, I was quite upset and angry with Mr.Reeve. After reading your column, I now have a different view of him. Thanks." More responses to the article can be read by clicking here.

• February 12, 2000: According to TV Guide online, Feb 12, Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve, is teaming up with ABC News's Deborah Roberts to host Lifetime Live, an hour-long newsmagazine airing weekdays at noon starting March 6.

• February 14, 2000: The Biotechnology Industry Organization released a press release saying that at 4:45pm Christopher Reeve will be the featured speaker Monday, March 27, at the opening plenary session for the BIO 2000 International Meeting & Exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts. BIO 2000 will be held March 26 to March 30 in the Hynes Convention Center. More than 7,000 company executives, scientists, investment experts and government officials from 40 nations are expected to attend. More than 600 speakers will participate in 200 symposia and sessions on the latest developments in science, business and public policy. In addition to Reeve, featured speakers include U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy; Peter Lynch, vice chairman of Fidelity Management and Research Co.; Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack; U.S. Commerce Department Undersecretary Dr. Cheryl Shavers; and actor David Lander, a multiple sclerosis patient who played Squiggy on the Laverne and Shirley television sitcom.

• February 15, 2000: Rhino Records unveils the first-ever Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of composer/conductor John Williams' entire score of Superman, from the movie starring Christopher Reeve, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. This deluxe reissue also features 40 additional minutes of music that was omitted in 1978 from the soundtrack's original release. Reeve is quoted in the albums's Liner Notes saying, "By the middle of 1978 I had been filming Superman for nearly a year-and-a-half and had lost my objectivity about it. But when I went to John Williams' first recording session with the London Symphony Orchestra and heard his score for the opening titles, my spirits soared. His soundtrack for the film is perfect and will always remain a classic."

• February 20, 2000: The Alan T. Brown Foundation To Cure Paralysis, an affiliate of the Christopher Reeve Parlaysis Foundation, will hold the 12th Annual John Vanbiesbrouck Celebrity Golf and Tennis Tournament on August 21st where Christopher Reeve is the guest of honor. The event will be held at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York.

• February 21, 2000: Christopher Reeve spoke with key legislators in Maryland to support the bill SB 287 which would increase funding in that state for spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders. The pending legislation is similar to that recently passed in New Jersey and Reeve joked that the Maryland congressmen should not let Governor Whitman beat them to a cure for paralysis. A hearing on the bill, sponsored by state Sen. Paula Hollinger and Del. Sheila Hixson is scheduled for March 14. People in Maryland or those with friends or family there who want to support this legislation should contact Sue Pendleton, Chair of Maryland Walks at "DTXNEWS@aol.com"

• February 22, 2000: Hans Keirstead, described as "one of the top dozen (spinal cord researchers) in the world," is leaving the University of British Columbia to take up an assistant professorship with the elite Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California. Along with his colleagues at UBC, Dr. Keirstead has developed a patented technique for regenerating damaged spinal cords. His is one of a few techniques worldwide with promise of healing cord tissue. "One of them is likely to work, if not several," Dr. Keirstead said. "I would not do anything in the world to crush the hope of spinal cord injured patients that a cure is out there. How far, how long, one can not responsibly say." Oswald Steward, director of the Reeve-Irvine centre, said that Dr. Keirstead was identified as the best candidate for the position there after an international search. He added: "Simply put, we're trying to build the world's very best research centre for spinal cord injury and regeneration research."

  

• February 28, 2000: At Home Box Office's premiere of If These Walls Could Talk 2, Christopher and Dana Reeve were present. Mitchell Fink of the New York Daily News talked to Reeve while there. When Fink marveled at how his legs move to the speed of the treadmill with the help of a parachute harness to hold his body upright, Reeve said, "This tells me there is energy in my spinal cord." Reeve continued, "If the motion of my legs is helping my breathing, it means my spinal cord is acting as a pathway. This is not a fantasy." Candidly, Reeve also told Fink that he has no regrets about doing the controversial Nuveen commerical that aired during the Super Bowl. "I thought it was great," he said. "It may have been controversial, but everything it said in that commercial will one day be possible." Mrs. Reeve, on the other hand, disagreed and told Fink, "I didn't like it because I worried that the commercial would result in disabled people being carried away by this fantasy of dramatic recovery. I would rather see the emphasis go toward improving their care and their quality of life." She added, "because he's the visionary and I'm the pragmatist."

• March 2, 2000: In a letter to the editor published in the March 6, 2000 issue of Time, Christopher Reeve responded as follows to an essay by Charles Krauthammer that had appeared in the February 14 Time magazine: "In his piece "Restoration, Reality and Christopher Reeve," Krauthammer chastised me for appearing in a commercial in which I am seen walking sometime in the future. He accused me of raising false hopes. My guess is that Krauthammer is unaware of the many published studies documenting the remarkable progress being made toward repairing a damaged spinal cord. A few months ago, you published an article by Jeffrey Kluger on spinal injury that was a less biased report (Visions 21, Nov. 8). In it, in response to a statement I made that I hoped to be on my feet by my 50th birthday and that there was a chance this might happen, Kluger wrote, 'Skeptics warn against too much giddy hope...Most researchers, though, are more optimistic. Over the course of 10 years, they say, the riddles of the cord have been solved.' I wish to reassure the public that I fully realize how important it is not to make statements that are misleading or irresponsible."

• March 4, 2000: Christopher Reeve was a guest speaker last night at the 10th Annual Southwestern Ball at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. The event, which also featured comedian Phyllis Diller and musician B.J. Thomas, benefited the Kent Waldrep Center for Basic Neuroscience Research. This year's gala raised $1.4 million.

• March 10, 2000: Dana Reeve candidly interviewed her husband Christopher Reeve for the first time on Lifetime Live while in Vail, Colorado for a major benefit the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation was holding. When Mrs. Reeve asked Reeve to update everyone on his health progress he said, "I've been on a vent for about four years and you don't want to get too dependent because, you know, eventually you want to be able to get free of it and a couple of scientists in Florida called up and said, 'It's going to be tough but we're going to make you work hard and get you off that vent.' And so what they've done is they've taken away a lot of my oxygen and made me do strength training." Special note- this is the only interview where you get to see Reeve flirt with his interviewer.

• March 19, 2000: Upcoming speaking engagements for Christopher Reeve include three Peter Lowe seminars. Reeve is scheduled to be in Baltimore, Maryland on May 9th at the Baltimore Arena with other speakers including Henry Kissinger; on May 16th in Dayton, Ohio at the Nutter Center at Wright State University where other speakers include First Lady Barbara Bush; and Omaha, Nebraska on June 8th at the Omaha Civic Auditorium with other speakers including Deborah Norville.

• March 22, 2000: Christopher Reeve was presented with the first UCSD-Salk Institute Service Award for his efforts to raise public awareness about spinal cord injuries and medical science. Reeve and his wife, Dana, spent the next two days in California touring area research laboratories. Before the awards banquet Reeve spoke briefly with reporters saying that paralysis and spinal cord injury is a medical problem that can be resolved. "It's a question of time, money and talent," he said.

• March 28, 2000: During an interview on Access Hollywood, Christopher Reeve revealed that he had been communicating with actor Michael J. Fox. Reeve commended Fox "for stepping up and leading the charge on Parkinsons" and added "I hope that he and I will go to Congress sometime in the spring and testify together." Reeve said: "That's our job - to become educated and then speak out." The interview took place on the set of a commercial Reeve is filming for HealthExtras.

• March 28, 2000: Christopher Reeve urged biotechnology researchers to work together to help patients instead of worrying about protecting patents. The paralyzed actor spoke to an estimated 1,800 scientists, industry leaders and business people Monday in Boston at the Bio2000 Conference. The biotech industry is exploring ways of altering genes to create lifesaving medicines, pest-resistant foods and animal organs suitable for human transplantation, among other things. Reeve, who was paralyzed in a 1995 horse riding accident, called on researchers to let the public know what they are working on. "Tell them what you're doing and why it gives hope," he said. "That way, you make us believers."

• March 29, 2000: A spokesperson for Sesame Street reports that the episodes in which Christopher Reeve appears with his son, Will, are scheduled to air on May 1, 2000 and June 26, 2000.

• March 31, 2000: The Discovery Health Channel is airing a special on Christopher Reeve on Wednesday, April 19th, 8pm EST in the U.S. Immediately following the program, viewers will have an opportunity to chat with Mr. Reeve online at the DHC website.

• March 31, 2000: In a continuation of his interview with Access Hollywood on the set of a HealthExtras commercial, Christopher Reeve defended the digitally enhanced Nuveen ad in which he appeared to be walking. Reeve said: "I was hoping the commercial I did for the Superbowl would stir up debate and controversy; but it is not an irresponsible commercial. It is a vision of something that can happen." It was revealed that some Madison Avenue insiders rank Reeve as potentially one of the most powerful pitchmen. But Reeve said he is careful which products he puts his image behind because "I represent a lot of disabled people - not only spinal cord injured people but many others - and I think very seriously about what I say." Reeve is currently busy casting the film Heartbreaker which he hopes to begin shooting in May.

• April 1, 2000: Following a business seminar in Salt Lake City, Christopher Reeve plans to make a special appearance at Weber State Univeristy's Dee Events Center on April 13 in order to raise money for Matt Maw a world-class tumbler and mascot for WSU who broke his neck in a Feb. 23 tumbling accident. Reeve waived his usual speaker's fee and agreed to speak for the balance of WSU's remaining convocation budget, $15,000, which Reeve will donate to his own Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.

• April 4, 2000: Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, and George Lucas will be among the guests who will be heard in conversations with Robin Williams at audible.com, a weekly series of original comedy, commentary and conversation produced by Williams. The show will premiere on Wednesday, April 5, 2000 exclusively at www.audible.com. RobinWilliams @ audible.com is currently offering a special Charter Membership program that provides the first eight episodes for free.

• April 7, 2000: Dana Reeve will join the cast of HBO's gritty prison drama, Oz, for its fourth season which starts in July. She plays an aide to the duplicitous Governor Devlin.

• April 11, 2000: Christopher Reeve along with Donald Trump, Joan Lunden, Larry King, Herb Cohen and others will speak at Anthony Robbins' "RESULTS 2000 -- Peak Performance for the New Millennium" at the Fleet Center in Boston on July 20, 2000. Tickets go on sale Sunday, April 16 and can be purchased by calling 800/353-3670. This one-day event is designed to "bring together some of the greatest achievers of our time to share their experiences and insights about creating extraordinary results", says Robbins.

  

• April 14, 2000: Speaking at a fundraiser in Ogden, Utah, to benefit injured world-class tumbler Matt Maw, Christopher Reeve said the only way to overcome tragedy is through an attitude of triumph -- finding a niche that allows you to continue contributing to and living life. Reeve told a crowd of more than 600 WSU alumni, classmates and fans of Maw's at the Dee Events Center: "Really, you have a choice... and the choice is to either be passive and basically not leave your house, retire from life, or you can say I can take whatever I've got and try to do something with it."

• April 19, 2000: For his third online chat, Christopher Reeve did a DiscoveryHealth.com chat to promote a 1996 Canadian documentary called The Toughest Break he hosted and narrated that the channel was airing. Three members of the Christopher Reeve Homepage crew attended the chat and two got questions through. When one member of the crew asked if he is going to write another book Reeve said, "No I don't plan to write another book in the near future, but I hope that in the not too distant future that I'll be able to write about recovery - not only my own, but for 100,000s of other people in the same situation. There's no way to speculate how soon that will be, but I think we're talking years, not decades. So maybe a book happen sooner than later, who knows?" In answer to another crew member's question asking if it is still difficult to convince people that a cure for paralysis is possible and not something unachievable, part of what Reeve said in his lengthly answer was, "I find that everyone has his/her own attitude regarding the cure. People who have been injured for a very long time tend to be the most skeptical. And I understand that, because it may or may not be possible to improve after a long time... And then I think, that when I explain to patients much of what I have learned about the research and about the amazing progress in just the last few years and I tell them about the real sense of urgency that the scientists are now beginning to understand, then they join me in cautious, but realistic optimism." In his answer to a question about how he keeps a positive attitude Reeve said, "The way I keep a positive attitude is by trying to do something constructive every day, no matter how I feel...I don't always feel good every day, in fact some days I feel far from it. But doing something every day, a little exercise or doing something in your environment that is constructive, helps you change your attitude when you are down." Reeve also said that he is in the process of casting for film right now that he hopes will be in production late this summer and that he is developing another film based on a book he recently read. There was also a question asking if research on discs would also help in spinal cord research in which Reeve admitted he has several crushed discs at the bottom of his spine. "I don't think that discs and the cord are really the same issue. For example, I have several crushed discs lower down my spine, but this is not something that the doctors are particularly worried about." Reeve contined, "There is new laser technology that makes repairing or fusing a disc relatively easy. Repairing the spinal cord itself is much harder."

• April 24, 2000: Christopher Reeve says a federal law banning government funding of research involving human embryos should be lifted. "While we prolong the stem-cell debate, millions continue to suffer. It is time to harness the power of government and go forward," Reeve says in an essay in Time magazine. Researchers believe they can use the cells culled from human embryos to make body parts or to find new therapies for Alzheimer's and other diseases. But the use of the cells has generated opposition from pro-life forces and some members of Congress, who say federal law prohibits it. Reeve said such research should be funded and supervised through the National Institutes of Health. "That will avoid abuses by for-profit corporations, avoid secrecy and destructive competition between laboratories and ensure the widest possible dissemination of scientific breakthroughs," he explained. Reeve will be the star witness in Washington, D.C. this Wednesday, April 26, when Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter will hold hearings on a bill to restore federal funding for stem cell research.

  

• April 25, 2000: Christopher and Dana Reeve feature on the front page of Hello! magazine issue no. 609, dated May 2, 2000, which is currently available in UK newsagents. The interview is a re-print of a Dana Reeve interview that featured in the American magazine Ladies Home Journal in October 1999 which was not available in the UK. A summary of the article with some of the photos from the interview can be found by clicking here.

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