Christopher Reeve:  That is great!

Jesse Kornbluth:  For those who have missed all the articles and might not have seen last night's ABC documentary, you have some terrific news. Would you take us briefly through it?

Christopher Reeve: Yes. Beginning in September of 2000, I discovered that I was able to move fingers on my left hand and decided to put other things aside and focus on exercising. The reason I did that was because there was no other explanation for why my fingers suddenly moved five years after my injuries but that I had been exercising since October of 1995, when I was in rehab. Perhaps the exercise had reawakened pathways of nerves that were still intact, because since then, I have developed the ability to move almost all the joints across my body, although some movement, such as my legs or arms, have to be done lying down or in a pool.

Jesse Kornbluth:  Let me ask a few quick questions, then turn you over to our members. You've worked amazingly hard. How many hours a day did you exercise?

Christopher Reeve: Anywhere from two to four and a half hours a day, seven days a week, unless I have other commitments I had to make.

Jesse Kornbluth: Skeptics will say, "Yeah, but he has resources. He has a staff and therapists. Nobody with less help could make this progress." What do you respond?

Christopher Reeve:  Beside my desire to improve my overall health and gain some recovery, my main desire is to prove that exercise and physical therapy can cause recovery and better health for others. It is my hope that insurance companies will understand that they will profit from providing patients the kind of staff and therapy that I had. At the very least, a person with my level of injuries will not spend so much time in the hospital. This will save the insurance companies money. Persons with lower-level injuries will recover the ability to walk and no longer need insurance. This has already been proven in a number of facilities that train paraplegics how to walk by using a treadmill. The most important point is that we can have a win/win situation where insurance companies will save money and patients will improve and
recover.

Jesse Kornbluth:  OK, to our members. 

Code3tara1: I saw the TV show and am so inspired by you. Please don’t give up. You are a strong person. Have they found any way to increase your diaphragm muscles? I am praying that you will be able to stand, breathe and live without assistance one day.

Christopher Reeve:  Thank you for your support. I am pleased to tell you that after I failed the diaphragm test, I changed my regimen of breathing exercise, and in the month since the film was completed, I have shown that my diaphragm is working and gaining strength all the time.

Allstarme409: What was going through your mind the moment you got feeling back in your hand?

Christopher Reeve:  Before the feeling returned to my hand, I had to be content to look at someone touching me. To have sensation back has brought great joy.

Jesse Kornbluth:  We have lots of messages from people who want to express their support for Christopher. Well, there IS something you can do. It won't cost YOU a penny. It WILL give Christopher’s cause $1 for research. When this chat is over, please go to AOL Keyword: Christopher Reeve and click on the “Happy Birthday” message. Every time someone sends a birthday greeting, a rich friend of Christopher's donates $1. So this is a very cool way to show your support. Christopher, where will the money go?

Christopher Reeve:  The money we receive goes to fund the best cutting-edge research in the world and to help the quality of life for people living with disabilities.

Ataya0080: Is there a possibility that ordinary people like me could donate our unfertilized eggs for stem cell research?

Christopher Reeve:  At the moment, you are only allowed to donate eggs for fertility research, not for stem cell research. Thank you for that kind thought. What is most important is to understand that the best hope for people with diseases ranging from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s to diabetes to cancer to ALS, as well as spinal injuries, is therapeutic cloning. Do not be scared of that word “cloning.” Cloning is not meant to reproduce a human being. That kind of cloning should be banned by our government. However, therapeutic cloning takes an unfertilized egg when it is only one or two days old. The nucleus is removed, and the DNA of the patient is put inside, and stem cells that match the patient genetically are created in the laboratory. This technology does not destroy life, but it has the potential to save millions of lives. Please learn more about the issue, if you are confused, and tell your representatives to allow the government to fund this critical
research.

Jesse Kornbluth:  Is there anything we can do to change the president's mind about stem cell research?

Christopher Reeve:  I don't think it will be possible to change the president's mind in that sense. However, a grassroots movement of support not only for stem cell research, but every kind of responsible, scientific inquiry can make a huge difference. That was the case with AIDS in the 1980s, when the government did not fund any research. But because of pressure from the public, today the government spends $1.8 billion on AIDS research, and the virus is largely under control in this country.

Brad270cal: Do you think in the near future you will be able to stand and walk, and when do you think that day will come?

Christopher Reeve:  I think that my recovery and the health and well-being of ... 54 million Americans living with disabilities will be determined by politics. The U.S. should be leading the world in the best of research, but because of political controversy over the last four years, progress has been unreasonably delayed. In the meantime, many other countries like England, Singapore, Sweden and Israel are progressing well, because they understand the importance of letting the best research go forward. I hope we will reclaim our position of leadership, but it will take public demand to make that happen.

Jesse Kornbluth:  Several members ask, what is your biggest fear?

Christopher Reeve:  My biggest fear is that our society will become so preoccupied with other issues that millions of people who are suffering will be left behind. As Franklin Roosevelt said in 1940, "We cannot be a strong nation unless we are a healthy nation." Those words are still true today.

Amy41971: Hi, I have a daughter who is 11 and has almost the exact same injury as you. She was paralyzed nine years ago. What can I do to get her more aggressive help? Doctors are content with her as she is. We are not.

Christopher Reeve:  Unfortunately, sometimes doctors are content to set limits on a patient's expectations. My advice to everyone is never to accept absolutes. There are many centers around the country that offer proactive rehabilitation. That can help even people who have not exercised for a very long time. If you go to http://www.paralysis.org/, you will connect with the Paralysis Resource Center. And if they have not done so, they will soon have a listing of where they are available.

Jesse Kornbluth:  I keep looking at the title of your new book, ‘Nothing Is Impossible,’ and what completely stuns me is: You mean it LITERALLY.

Christopher Reeve:  Well, I don't expect pigs to fly. I do believe that there are resources inside all of us that we may know very little about. All it takes is curiosity and determination to see what we have inside and how we can benefit from learning more.

Jesse Kornbluth:  I don't know about you all out there, but I notice I've been sitting straighter and breathing deeper and feeling more alert as we've talked to Christopher tonight. And I know I'm going to AOL Keyword: Christopher Reeve to wish him a happy 50th. That stampede you hear, Christopher, is AOL members rushing to that site. Happy birthday -- keep going!

Christopher Reeve:  To everybody online with us tonight and to all of our friends and loved ones, Dana and I want to express our deepest gratitude. We have only been able to come this far because so many people care about our family. Not only am I grateful for your generosity, but I promise you that I will do everything I can to try to return it. Thanks again. With love,
Christopher.

Jesse Kornbluth:  Thanks. Good night, all.

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