Superman star Christopher Reeve, who was paralysed in a riding accident seven years ago, has regained some movement and sensation in his fingers and toes, a spokeswoman for the actor announced on Tuesday, prompting hopes that he may one day walk again.
Christopher, whose spinal cord was severely damaged when he fell off a horse at an equestrian event, has spent three years in a rigorous treatment regime devised by Dr John McDonald, the medical director of Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, USA.
He can now feel a pin prick over most of his body and distinguish between hot and cold, and sharp and dull sensations. Dr McDonald said the progress could one day lead to a full recovery, something the actor has said would always happen.
Christopher, 49, told the US magazine People that he could feel the hugs of his wife, Dana, and his three children. “To be able to feel just the lightest touch is really a gift,” he said.
The actor had always hoped to be able to walk again by his 50th birthday, later this month, but now he recognises he will not achieve that goal. But Christopher remains hopeful about the future.
“The fact is that even if your body doesn’t work the way it used to,” he told the magazine, “the heart and the mind and spirit are not diminished. It’s as simple as that.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
