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PRESS RELEASE
The Reeves' Gifts
By Dr. Vicki Rackner
Christopher and Dana Reeve offered faces to a story that could well become a legend. The story began when a tragic accident transformed Christopher Reeve from fictional hero into a real-life superhero. He found meaning in a life characterized by what many see as limitations and his new dependence on the care of others. He inspired those who face adversity both in and out of a wheelchair. And he catapulted medical research into promising frontiers that had once appeared distant on the horizon.
By his side stood Superwoman. Dana Reeve gave a face to caregiving through her words and deeds. Always at his side, she showed superhuman strength of character and grace through adversity.
Together Christopher and Dana Reeve became the face of hope.
Now we mourn the death of our Superwoman Dana Reeve. We send our condolences to the Reeve family and friends. You may include yourself among their friends even if you never met them. Their journey may have touched your life in a profound way.
The final chapter of this story may offer another important gift. Dana Reeve’s diagnosis of lung cancer after a decade of caregiving may be more than just chance. Her death is a reminder that caregiving and health challenges are often connected.
Just this week Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company, joined by Vice Admiral Richard Carmona MD, MPH, who is the US Surgeon General, and a coalition of leading aging and caregiving organizations, launched the Caregiver Initiative. This national campaign is designed to call attention to the vital role that family caregivers now play, to help them maintain their own health as they care for others and help prepare Americans for their caregiving roles.
Over 45 million Americans offer unpaid care for loved ones; the value is estimated at over $300 billion, a number greater than the entire 2004 Medicare budget. The newly-launched Web site www.strengthforcaring.com is resource that offers support for caregivers – to “help you take care.”
My guess is that Dana Reeve would have endorsed Dr. Carmona’s “prescription” for caregivers. She represented a nation of open-hearted and unprepared caregivers who stepped up to the plate because they had to and wanted to – a daughter taking care of a mother with dementia, a husband caring for his wife who is recovering from a stroke, a brother and sister assisting dad after a heart attack.
Let’s honor the Reeves by facing adversity with strength, and nurturing ourselves as we support others.
Vicki Rackner M.D. president of Medical Bridges, is a surgeon who left the operating room to help patients partner more effectively with their doctors. She's a speaker, author and consultant.
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