Christopher+Reeve

= = =Article= Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 in New York, U.S.A. Christopher Reeve’s parents were professor Franklin Reeve and Barbara Johnson. Christopher Reeve’s professions were an actor, a director and an author. Christopher Reeve was famous because he acted the role of “superman” and this was character that everyone liked. The hobbies of Christopher Reeve were riding on horses. In May 1995 Christopher Reeve’s life changed. When he rode on his horse he fell and broke his neck. From then on he was sick with A.L.S and was paralyzed in his whole body. He decided to continue his life anyway. Christopher Reeve built a society for research and collected donations for other ALS patients. Christopher Reeve died after 9 years of hope on October 10, 2004 of cardiac arrest. Christopher Reeve made the decision to continue to live when all his family entered his room and Christopher Reeve felt the love. He felt lucky that he didn't injure his head, he was happy that he remained himself and Dana told him: "you are still you and I love you" the power to continue life is that there is a future, The support, the love, friendship of family, friends and the people from all over the world came to Christopher Reeve and then he understood how lucky he has been and how much value there is to life. The hardest times were the first two weeks after the injury when Christopher Reeve woke up suddenly at night after he dreamed that he was healthy. When he woke-up he found couldn’t move and Christopher Reeve was connected to an artificial respirator. When Christopher Reeve was unconscious Dana his wife sang his favorite song . “this beautiful star“ Christopher Reeve breathed with the help of his artificial respirator, which was behind his chair. It had fluid air and he had a hose that moved his vocal cords so Christopher Reeve can speak. Christopher Reeve had feeling in his head, neck, left leg, left ribs and shoulders. Christopher Reeve breathed alone every day for 20 minutes and he was connected to bed. He was tied in a few places so that his muscles will function in the future, and because it if people could touch him gently then Reeve was able to feel it. After the accident Christopher Reeve donated five billion US dollar to rescue people that suffered from spinal cord injury. He went to Washington DC and addressed the senate and he got forty two billion US dollar which in his opinion, could bring about a breakthrough in the research. He thought it is better to put the money into the future, so people will be spared the disease rather than in trying to take care of them once they got sick. He taught us that we all have a disability in life. Some people have a limited thinking and the others have physical limitations. The ability to continue is the courage and to deal with the challenge. After the accident Christopher Rive said: "When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences-a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Despite the illness of A.L.S, Rive continued his life with amazing strength and optimism. Rive said that every day in the morning he needs twenty minutes to cry. But after that he forgets the illness and focuses on life. How does he manage? Before the accident we saw the imaginary Superman, who flew and directed and acted on T.V. programs. After the accident we saw the real Superman who struggled to breathe, eat and move. What for others is a natural day-to-day activity was his real, serious struggle. He even struggled for others who suffered from A.L.S. He gave donations to research the illness. And he built a society for research and collected donations for medical equipment. Christopher Rive is no longer with us. We can only try to continue his wonderful ideas; To support research to find donations, and to not give up hope to find a solution for A.L.S. Christopher Rive turned from a Hollywood superman to a real superman.

ID Card


Full Name: Christopher Reeve. Parents’ Names: Barbara Johnson and Prof. Franklin Reeve. Year of Birth: 25 September 1952. Where Born: New York, U.S.A. Year of Death: 10 October 2004. Profession: actor, director, author, riding a horse.

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Interview
1. **How do you speak and breathe**? 2. **Where do you have feeling in yours body**? 3. **When did you make the decision to continue to live**? I am happy that I remained myself. Dana told me: "you are still you and I love you" 4. **What did Dana do when you were unconscious**? 5. **What was the hardest time after the accident**? 6. **What his caused the change in your attitude that gave you the will power to continue live**?
 * Behind my char I have an artificial respirator, it has fluid air and I have a hose that moves my vocal cords therefore I can speak.
 * I have feeling in my head, neck, left leg, left ribs and shoulders.
 * All my family entered my room and I felt the love and I felt lucky that I didn't injure in my head.
 * She sang song to me our favorite song "this beautiful star"
 * In the first two weeks after the injury I woke up suddenly at night after I dreamed that I was healthy. When I woke-up I found can't move and I was connected to an artificial respirator.
 * I saw there is future. The support, the love, friendship of family and friends and the people from all over the world came to me and then I understood how lucky I have been and how much value there is to life.

7. **What did you do after the accident that you didn't do in the past**?
 * I donated five billion US dollar to rescue people that suffer spinal cord injury.

8. **How did you get this money**?

9. **How have you progressed in your healing**? 10. **Do you feel that you are beginning to improve**?
 * I went to Washington DC and addressed the senate and I got forty two billion US dollar and in my opinion this could bring about a breakthrough in the research. It is better to put the money in the future, so people will be spared the disease than in trying to take care of them once they got sick.
 * I breathe alone every day now for 20 minutes and I am connected to bed and it is places me so that my muscles will function in the future.
 * Yes, if people touch me gently then I can feel it.

Speech
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All of us are have a disability in life. Some people have a limited thinking and the others have physical limitations. The ability to continue is the courage and to deal with the challenge.After the accident Christopher Rive said: "When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked 'What is a hero?' I remember the glib response I repeated so many times. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences-a soldier who crawls out of a foxhole to drag an injured buddy to safety. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Despite the illness of A.L.S, Rive continued his life with amazing strength and optimism. Rive said that every day in the morning he needs twenty minutes to cry. But after that he forgets the illness and focuses on life. How does he manage? Before the accident we saw the imaginary Superman, who flew and directed and acted on T.V. programs. After the accident we saw the real Superman who struggled to breathe, eat and move. What for others is a natural day-to-day activity was his real, serious struggle. He even struggled for others who suffered from A.L.S. He gave donations to research the illness. And he built a society for research and collected donations for medical equipment. Christopher Rive is no longer with us. We can only try to continue his wonderful ideas; To support research to find donations, and to not give up hope to find a solution for A.L.S. Christopher Rive turned from a Hollywood superman to a real superman.

Reflection
We learned to be clear in English, and learned how to write an article and how to collect information in English from the internet. We have a lot of help from us teacher. The project was difficult because we should collect information in English from the internet and sometimes the word in the article was difficult and we didn't understand what they mean and we needed to search in the dictionary to understand what they meant.

We learned how determination influenced the people and how much it supported him. Reeve all the time believed that he will survive, his determination to live allowed him to continue his life. We saw that he tried to breathe alone and that he tried to stand on his own two legs. We saw that there are results to his action, when people touch him gently he can feel it.

Rationale
The class chose to write about movers and checkers in the twentieth century. We chose to write about Christopher Reeve because he was a mover and shaker for the world. He donated a lot of money to research the illness of A.L.S. and he fought illness of A.L.S. himself until the end, hopefully.

We think we had enough time and help. We think the teachers need to give the choice of the subject to the girls and not impose a subject on them.