Christopher Reeve died suddenly
30Christopher Reeve was 52 when he died and had lived 2 years longer than the most optimistic prognosis. His tireless determination to not only live but recover and his willingness to put his body on the line to achieve this (via experimental surgeries and treatments and a grueling exercise routine) were an inspiration to tens millions of people including those who had suffered spinal cord injuries.
In May of 1995 Reeve’s horse began a jump and suddenly stopped. Reeve fell forward off the horse landing head first on the far side of the fence, shattering his first and second vertebrae. The resulting cervical spinal injury paralyzed him from the neck down and halted his breathing. Paramedics arrived three minutes later and immediately took measures to get air into his lungs and he was airlifted to hospital.
After five days he regained full consciousness. His doctor explained that he was paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe without a ventilator.
Reeve's first thoughts when informed about the seriousness of his injury was he had ruined his life, would be a burden on his family, and it might be best to "slip away". He mouthed to his wife Dana, "Maybe we should let me go." She tearfully replied, "I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life and your decision. But I want you to know that I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you. And I love you." In what she would later describe as a "sales ploy", she also told him that if he still wanted to die in two years they could reconsider the question.
After this conversation, and visits from his children in which he saw how much they needed him, Reeve consented to life saving surgery and treatment for pneumonia. He reportedly never considered euthanasia as an option again
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