OT: Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, dies of lung cancer

[Keith A]

I know this is completely OT, but I was shocked to see this morning that Dana Reeve passed away from lung cancer. She was only 44 and never even smoked!!!

Yesterday's history,
Tomorrow, a mystery;
Today is a gift,
It's the present!

Here's short news story from the AP regarding her passing....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Dana Reeve, who fought for better treatments and possible cures for paralysis through the Christopher Reeve Foundation, named for her late actor-husband, has died. She was 44.

Reeve died Monday of lung cancer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Medical Center, said Sean Dougherty, a spokesman for the 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," Kathy Lewis, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a statement.

Reeve won worldwide admiration for her support of her husband, the one-time Hollywood "Superman" turned activist for spinal cord research after a horse-riding accident in 1996.

She served as chairwoman of the Christopher Reeve Foundation and founded the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center.

Christopher Reeve died in 2004. In August, Dana Reeve announced she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. She said she had never smoked.

She said in November that said she was able to keep her spirits up because she "had a great model. ... I was married to a man who never gave up."

Reeve lived in Westchester County, near New York, with the couple's teenage son, Will. She has appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway and regional stages and on the TV shows "Law & Order," "Oz," and "All My Children."

"Dana will always be remembered for her passion, strength and ceaseless courage that became her hallmark," Lewis said. "Along with her husband, Christopher, she faced adversity with grace and determination, bringing hope to millions around the world."

She is survived by her father, Dr. Charles Morosini; sisters Deborah Morosini and Adrienne Morosini Heilman; two stepchildren, Matthew and Alexandra; and her son.

[Tony Edwards]

This is indeed very sad. I saw her interviewed a few times and she was a remarkably gracious and good-humored person. Apparently the theory is that she got lung cancer working as a singer in smoke-filled bars as a younger woman.

[Keith A]

And here's the connection to cycling...

Cannondale R600 road bike (1985-USA)
This bike belonged to Superman, until Dana & Christopher Reeve donated it to the WORLD TEAM Celebrity Bicycle Charity Auction. plum, 60cm aluminum frame with tubular tires.

http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/candreeve.jpg

http://www.bikecult.com/works/archive/candreeve2.jpg

[fiamme red]

And here's the connection to cycling...

Cannondale R600 road bike (1985-USA)
This bike belonged to Superman, until Dana & Christopher Reeve donated it to the WORLD TEAM Celebrity Bicycle Charity Auction. plum, 60cm aluminum frame with tubular tires.I thought Superman rode a Clark Kent?

[Sandy]

So remarkably sad and tragic that a husband and wife should pass away as they did.

It really makes you think about how most fortunate we are to be able to participate in our passion of cycling and how almost meaningless our preferences, differences, and disagreements are in sharing that passion.


Sandy

[Keith A]

Sandy -- you are correct my friend. It also makes you realize that we should spend time with those that we love, because we don't know when us or them may leave this earthly life.

[Sandy]

You, my friend, are most correct. Time passes so quickly, and much too often, we are involved so deeply and totally in our every day activities, that we don't set enough quality time aside for our most important family and/or friends. As one gets older, time seems to pass so much quicker. Life experiences teach us, sometimes too late, what the really important things are. Those close to us are most often taken much too abrubtly and quickly, no matter the length of the person's demise.



Sandy

[Keith A]

Sandy, et al -- Here is a story I read several years ago and I keep a copy of this and take it out and read it every now and then. It helps me keep my priorities in order and I think you'll appreciate this...

"A Story To Live By"
By: Ann Wells (Los Angeles Times)

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package. "This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie." He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion." He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.

I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event-such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends'.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing-I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good Friends whom I was going to get in touch with-someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write-one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.

Every day, every minute, every breath truly is...a gift from God.

[Sandy]

Great story. A wonderful one to keep and read over as time passes.

Thanks for sharing it.



Sandy

[dbrown]

Thanks for the reminder that every day is special. It only takes an instant to change our lives completely.

[gasman]

Keith-

Thanks for sharing a wonderful story. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day rush that you can forget what is truely important.

I am going to print a copy of the story to keep for myself and my wife.

[Keith A]

Here's some more news related to the passing of Dana Reeve and her son...

Lance Armstrong comforts Dana Reeve's son

NEW YORK (AP) — Lance Armstrong spent Wednesday morning comforting 13-year-old Will Reeve, less than two days after his mother, Dana Reeve, died of lung cancer.

"I would say that his spirits were pretty good considering that, in the last 18 months, he's lost his father, his mother and his grandmother," Armstrong told syndicated entertainment show Inside Edition.

"In situations like this," Armstrong said, "all you can do is say, 'Hey buddy, I'm here if you want to go hang out, if you want to play games, whatever you want to do, I'm here.'"

Will's father, Christopher Reeve, died in October 2004 from complications from an infection. The former Superman actor was nearly totally paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995.

Armstrong said he became close to Will during his mother's illness and the two spent time together during the last few months.

"I love hanging with him," the cyclist said. "I never thought I'd say that about a 13-year-old, but he's a great kid. He's a big sports fan. He's an athlete himself. Will is not your normal 13-year-old. He's a smart, well-adjusted, mature, humble kid."

Dana Reeve was her husband's constant companion and supporter during the ordeal of his rehabilitation, winning worldwide admiration. With him, she became an activist in the search for a cure for spinal-cord injuries.

The Christopher Reeve Foundation is yet to announce plans for a funeral.