We’ve been hit by some medical tragedy stories involving the rich and famous in recent years: such as the ongoing saga of the late Christopher Reeves and the brutally-fast illness/death of ABC anchorman Peter Jennings.
Now we get this:
NEW YORK – Dana Reeve, who spent nine years caring for her paralyzed husband, Christopher Reeve, until his death last year, announced Tuesday that she has lung cancer.
Reeve, 44, said she decided to disclose her illness following rumors about her health in the media.
“I have recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, and am currently undergoing treatment,� Reeve said in a statement. “I have an excellent team of physicians, and we are optimistic about my prognosis.�
“Now, more than ever, I feel Chris with me as I face this challenge,� she said. “As always, I look to him as the ultimate example of defying the odds with strength, courage and hope in the face of life’s adversities.�
Reeve, who starred in the “Superman� films, was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995. He died Oct. 10, 2004.
It’s truly a tragedy. I often tell people that you can look at life as if you’re on a stage. playing your part, and you never really know when it’s time for the final exit. Another way of look at it, is that life is sitting in an audience and experiencing a drama but you never know when the curtain will come down and the show will be over for you.
Dana Reeve has been an incredibly courageous woman, devoting nine years of her life to her husband, letting him the world see what she was truly made of when tragedy struck him and his world — and hers — was turned upside down. She stuck by him, loved him, worked with him, shared his hopes and dreams — and grieved for him.
She became chairwoman of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which funds research on paralysis and has given out $55 million in research grants and $7.5 million in quality of life grants.
So now she faces a new crisis of her own. She says her team is optimistic and we won’t doubt her word. But no matter what, our prayers are with her.
She deserves the best for herself because she has devoted so much of her life so far to helping others.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, writes a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.