Christopher Reeve Day in Salt Lake City

Christopher and Dana Reeve

September 25th was officially Christopher Reeve Day in Salt Lake City as proclaimed by Mayor Ralph Becker, on what would have been Christopher’s 58th birthday. On the eve of Christopher Reeve Day, the Utah Chapter of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation honored Christopher’s legacy with a dinner and silent auction at Market Street Grill Cottonwood. The Utah Chapter exists because Christopher’s stepsister Katie Johnson-Hill and stepbrother Tom Laabs Johnson live in Salt Lake City. Christopher Reeve Day would not have happened without the dedication of Katie and her energetic daughter Heather. They put hours of hard work into the event.

Katie Johnson-Hill with her brother Tristam Johnson

Christopher’s mother Barbara Johnson traveled from her home in Princeton, New Jersey to join us and I spent a good portion of the evening conversing with this strong, intelligent woman. Tall and athletic, she stays fit by sculling. Turns out she is also a journalism graduate, so we had much common ground, in addition to the fact that her son and I both had spinal cord injuries in the prime of our life. The evening was a powerful mix of emotions. Smiles and laughter mingled with tears and reflection.



Christopher Reeve's mother Barbara Johnson

 I also had the distinct pleasure of sitting next to our keynote speaker Meg Johnson, founder of Miss Wheelchair Utah. Meg is quadriplegic from a fall while hiking near St. George in 2004. She’s a dynamic speaker, whose personal motto is: When life gets too hard to stand, just keep on rollin’. She delivered a message of service, saying that we gain strength from helping others, no matter what our personal situation. If you want to find out more about Meg, check out her website http://www.megjohnsonspeaks.com/.



Keynote speaker Meg Johnson with husband Whit

Right now I’m caught between being amazed at the strength of the human spirit in people like Meg, and being resentful at the masses of able bodied people who wallow in apathy and selfishness. Many of my so-called friends fit into this latter category. They’re the ones who buy vacation homes and luxury cars yet ignore the opportunity to contribute to a cause as important as spinal cord injury research.  I know there are many critical causes out there, but if everybody would pick just one and support it, what a much better world we’d live in.



L to R: Emery Blanchard, Utah Chapter board member Stan Clawson,
sister Ann and Jackson Richards

 

 I’m grateful that Christopher Reeve chose to take the route of courage and commitment and create a legacy of hope for the nearly 1.3 million people who live with paralysis in the United States. Because of his energy and passion, we are closer to a cure for spinal cord injuries than ever before, and maybe I will see it happen in my lifetime. Thanks, Chris and Dana, for all that you have done.