Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reeve who worked tirelessly with her husband to improve treatment for spinal-cord injuries, has died of lung cancer. She was 44.
Reeve died late Monday, Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, said in a statement.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, we are extremely saddened by the death of Dana Reeve, whose grace and courage under the most difficult of circumstances was a source of comfort and inspiration to all of us,” Lewis said. “Dana will always be remembered for her passion, strength and ceaseless courage that became her hallmark.”
Reeve, a nonsmoker, announced her cancer battle last August, just 10 months after losing her husband. But she seemed to be making progress in her battle against the disease. Reeve was optimistic during one of her last public appearances in November, at a fund-raising gala in New York for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
“I was married to a man who never gave up,” she said. “He taught me so much about courage and about going forward. He really was in this with me.”
Her announcement came at the end of a particularly difficult time, in which Reeve lost her mother following surgery for ovarian cancer, and Christopher in October 2004.
Reeve stoically stood by her husband’s side after a May 27, 1995, horse-riding accident left the Superman star a quadriplegic. Following Christopher’s death, she took over as head of the New Jersey-based Christopher Reeve Foundation, which works to raise money and awareness for spinal-cord injuries.
She and Christopher have a 13-year-old son, Will.
No funeral services have been announced. For more information on the Christopher Reeve Foundation, go to www.ChristopherReeve.org.
credit: www.celebspin.com
Reeve died late Monday, Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, said in a statement.
“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, we are extremely saddened by the death of Dana Reeve, whose grace and courage under the most difficult of circumstances was a source of comfort and inspiration to all of us,” Lewis said. “Dana will always be remembered for her passion, strength and ceaseless courage that became her hallmark.”
Reeve, a nonsmoker, announced her cancer battle last August, just 10 months after losing her husband. But she seemed to be making progress in her battle against the disease. Reeve was optimistic during one of her last public appearances in November, at a fund-raising gala in New York for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
“I was married to a man who never gave up,” she said. “He taught me so much about courage and about going forward. He really was in this with me.”
Her announcement came at the end of a particularly difficult time, in which Reeve lost her mother following surgery for ovarian cancer, and Christopher in October 2004.
Reeve stoically stood by her husband’s side after a May 27, 1995, horse-riding accident left the Superman star a quadriplegic. Following Christopher’s death, she took over as head of the New Jersey-based Christopher Reeve Foundation, which works to raise money and awareness for spinal-cord injuries.
She and Christopher have a 13-year-old son, Will.
No funeral services have been announced. For more information on the Christopher Reeve Foundation, go to www.ChristopherReeve.org.
credit: www.celebspin.com
