Photo: Will Reeve/Instagram
On Sunday, Will, anABC Newscorrespondent,reflected on his memory of his dad. Will was just 3 years old when his father, best known forplaying Superman, was paralyzed in 1995, and was only 11 when Christopher died in 2004. Two years later, tragedy struck again when his mother Dana died of lung cancer at the young age of 44.
“We never got to see whales together. We never got to do a lot of stereotypical father-son stuff – no catch in the backyard, no birds and the bees, no driving lessons, no prom pictures, no college visits, no guy’s dinners in New York City,” Will wrote. “While I haven’t been able to celebrate with him on Father’s Day for 17 years, I honor him today with joy and a dream realized. I saw whales in Alaska last night, up close, and felt dad was with me.”
Ken Regan/LFI
He continued, “I’m 29 now and have finally started to understand what honoring my dad actually means. I thought it meant following the roads he would want me to go down, or to live my life as his proxy, making up for lost time according to his thwarted dreams. Turns out, our parents want us to find out whoweare and go be that. That is the ultimate form of honor.”
Over the years, Will has stayed connected to his parents through his work, founding theChristopher and Dana Reeve Foundationand becoming an activist for spinal cord injury research alongside his half-siblings Matthew and Alexandra.
“In our short time together, my dad gave me everything: his love and attention, his values and passions,” Will added. “When he died, I was certain my purpose in life was tobe him, to seamlessly carry on his legacy, to leave no separation between where Christopher Reeve ended and where Will Reeve began.
“Like many missing the main character every third Sunday in June, I never feel fully whole on Father’s Day. But I find peace and strength in the fact that the greatest gift I can give my dad is to keep him in my heart while I follow it wherever it leads me.”
The day before he died, Christopher spent quality time with his youngest child. He went to Will’s hockey game, as he typically did, according to family friend Ken Regan. “He tried to go to all of Will’s sporting events,” the photographer told PEOPLE in 2004. They then spent the rest of the day watching baseball back at home. Will has often called his father “coolest guy” he’s ever known, continuing his breakthrough research in his honor.
source: people.com
