Christopher Reeve's Son: Hopefully Dad Would Be Impressed

Christopher Reeve will remain a superman in many of our hearts and minds. The accomplished actor sustained a cervical spinal cord injury after a horse riding accident in 1995. His quadriplegia led him to advocate for people with spinal cord injuries and he later became the voice for human embryonic stem cell research. Reeve died at 52 from cardiac arrest caused by a systemic infection. His beloved wife Dana died of cancer less than two years later. Together, they formed the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which left a lasting impression on their son, William, now 17, and Reeve's two older children - Matthew, 29, and Alexandra, 27 - from his previous relationship with girlfriend Gae Exton.

On November 1, Christopher's eldest son, Matthew, will be doing something he never imagined possible: running the NYC Marathon. The eldest son of Christopher spoke to In Touch about his plans to represent the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation in the race:

My father would probably wonder what happened to his son, who’s this imposter?” Matthew days. “Hopefully, he’d be impressed.”

For those who knew his dad well, there’s no doubt. “Christopher would be so proud of his kids,” says his longtime friend Jane Seymour. “They’re doing what he asked us all to do.” Jane adds, “He couldn’t breathe by himself, couldn’t move. Yet he was able to make a huge difference globally. That’s why he’s my hero.” While he never walked again, others have. “It’s because of Chris,” says Jane.

Christopher’s older kids have remained passionate about the cause. “The day after Dana died, we elected them to the board,” says Peter Wilderotter, president and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. “I couldn’t imagine not being involved. It’s my passion, not my profession,” says Matthew, a documentary filmmaker who is attending graduate school as well as training for his first marathon. Wilderotter thinks it’s meant to be, describing a poster about running that Christopher hung in his den. “It said, ‘For everyone who thought I couldn’t do it... see you at the finish line,’” he recalls, adding that Dana also likened the family’s struggle to a relay race. “This is important to us as a family,” Matthew says. “The injury happened to my dad, but all our lives were affected. We just do what we can to help.”