As Christopher and Dana Reeve lost their lives tragically, their only child, their son Will Reeve remained an orphan.
Christopher and Dana married in 1992, and had their only son Will Reeve, two months after their wedding.
As he was on the peak of his career and enjoying his life, in 1995, a tragic accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. When he woke up at the hospital, he wanted doctors to take his life as he told his wife to “let him go.”
“Without missing a beat, she looked me right in the eye and said, ‘But you’re still you and I love you,’” Christopher said in an interview.
He then started to work for funding money for the study of the spinal cord and central nervous system. With his wife, they founded the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to help people living with paralysis.
When Will was 12, Christopher passed away from heart failure in October 2004, he was 52. Sadly, as if this wasn’t enough, Dana lost her life two years after Will lost his father, in 2006.
He was orphaned at the age of 13.
When Will talked about his late parents, he told that his father Christopher was a doting parent, who focused on his child. “That could be difficult, but my parents did such a good job of staying true to their values that I never felt deprived of a normal childhood, even though my experiences, at face value, were inherently different from other children my age,” Will said.
Before Dana passed away, she planned a solid future for her son. She talked with their neighbors Ralph and Ann Pucci to adopy Will on her demise, as she trusted them.
Pucci family already had their two children, Nicole and Michael Pucci, welcomed Will into their family and supported him, as their community did.
“The Puccis are…lifesavers. They are the very best people. […] They are the reason that I was able to emerge from the darkest period of my life – relatively unscathed.” Will said.
Will stated that Nicole and Michael were close to him as they were his best friends, and said that his mother’s best decision was talking to their neighbors about his adoption.
“They took me in, and they loved me, not even like a son, they loved me, and do love me, as a son. The Puccis are my family and they always will be. […] When I say ‘I’m going home’ – it’s their house,” Will said.
What do you think? Let us know.