Christopher Reeve's Superhuman Efforts to Stay Upbeat After Being Confined to Wheelchair Revealed by His Kids: 'He Had a Low Tolerance for Low Effort'
Christopher Reeve's children opened up about his resilience after his 1995 accident.
Nov. 8 2024, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Christopher Reeve's real life superpower was staying positive in spite of his spinal cord injury.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Superman star's children detailed how their father handled his life-changing injury and refused to give up.
Reeve's three children opened up about their dad and paid tribute to his life in a new documentary.
Reeve's three children opened up about their dad and his life following his 1995 accident.
Daughter Alexandra, 40, a Washington D.C.-based lawyer, said her father was at first angry and resentful after the horrific 1995 equestrian accident left him a quadriplegic at age 43.
She said: "He would have been the first person to say he had moments when he felt bitter.
"It certainly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
"Of course, he had days when he got p---ed off at the circumstances."
Matthew Reeve said his dad 'had a low tolerance for low effort'.
The Superman star had always been a type-A personality who valued his work above all else.
His son Matthew, 44, a filmmaker, said: "With Dad, you had to make an effort.
"He had a low tolerance for low effort."
After the accident, Reeve was said to be "competitive with himself – if he breathed off the ventilator for 30 minutes on the Tuesday, on Wednesday it would have to be 31 minutes."
All three recalled how their dad had always been an activist – and after being paralyzed, he worked tirelessly to raise money for people with long-term disabilities and for spinal cord injury research.
His youngest son, Will, 32, a TV journalist, said his father always retained his indomitable spirit.
He added: "Prior to the accident, he could never sit still.
"The accident forced him to literally sit still, but figuratively, he still couldn't. He continued to push himself in every way – to grow as a husband, father, contributor to society."
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Son Will Reeve said his father 'continued to push himself' to be better after being confined to a wheelchair.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Reeve's children previously said he feared he would be a "burden" to their family in the wake of his accident.
Alexandra noted how her father's second wife, Dana, helped keep him alive.
She explained: "She said, 'I'm going to say this one time. It's your choice because it's your life. But you are still you, and I love you.
"He'd been reminded that he was the same person, and he still had this family around him that loved him and wanted him and needed him, that he would still have value.
"Dana really was the one who helped him realize that. He said, 'Dana saved me.'"
Reeve's children said despite the accident the family took comfort in him still being alive.
Despite the accident, Reeve's family took comfort in the fact he was still alive. If the break in his neck had been an inch to the left, his injuries would have been fatal.
Still, Alexandra said her dad had "clear eyes" and saw the accident as a "fluke".
She added: "He never blamed the horse. I went back to riding. He was very clear-eyed that it was a really s***ty fluke.
"But it could have been a fluke in the other direction and he could have died on the spot."
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