Updated March 11, 2006 Dear Friends and Somewhere in Time Fans, Please allow me to share with you some of my personal feelings about Dana in this space.  Since I knew Chris since working on SIT together, and was friends with him as well as Dana, I would like to be more intimate in this tribute.  In regards to her loss, we all feel the same feelings, and it's nice that we can share them together, and comfort one another.  (I deeply appreciate all the emails I have received....) Dana, a lifelong non-smoker,  had announced she was battling the disease on August 5, 2005.  She had been characteristically very positive, and even recently was seen on TV with a bright and shining confidence for recovery, saying she was very pleased with her medical team and the treatment and care she was receiving.  A source close to the Reeve family said she only recently learned she was failing in her battle against the disease, and continued to exude an optimistic attitude.

Dana and Chris at the 1994 Somewhere in Time Weekend.

Dana's loss is a profound one.  She was just as the public saw her....bright, sparkling, warm and genuine through-and-through, always looking to brighten everyone else's day.  There was no "on-view persona" with Dana, she was the real deal.  (She perfectly matched Chris in all his treasured qualities.)  I have never known two more positive people than Chris and Dana.  She was a rare and precious person.

Dana had a beautiful singing voice, and in fact, this is what first turned Chris' attention toward her.  She was performing at a local nightspot in Williamstown, where Chris was performing in in summer stock theater production.  He has said he was smitten and made a point to meet her after her performance. They were together for five years before marrying in 1992.

Dana accompanied Chris to the Somewhere in Time Weekend in 1994, which was 7 months before Chris became paralyzed.  Chris introduced her shortly after arriving onstage to meet a standing-room-only crowd of over 800 Somewhere  in Time fans, "I'd like to introduce you to the love of my life, 'the portrait on my wall' for the past 7 years, my wife, Dana Reeve." *

I have been very moved by the world's outpouring of grief over Dana. The media gave her what is usually reserved only for dignitaries, which goes to show how deeply her life touched people.  The media have reported that emails have flooded news agencies, comparable to when Mother Theresa passed.  We don't often think of the many levels on which Dana inspired others, but this week we are realizing how she put a face to the trials and quiet dignity of those who care for seriously ill loved ones.  Her death rippled through hospital and hospice corridors as well as private homes.  Her dignity and grace amidst incredible challenges will remain a role model for all.

An INSITE member sent me a recording of Rush Limbaugh who talked this week about his meeting Dana some years back at a function.  He had been seated next to her.  All evening long, people kept coming up to Dana, saying how they admired her, and how so many people would have "bolted" from the situation with Chris.  Dana seemed continually puzzled and embarrassed by the attention.  When Rush expressed his own same sentiment, on her sacrifices of her own career, her reply was, "There haven't been any sacrifices, I love this man."

She had a heart so big, that she was able to fit in everyone else who has had to cope with disability.  She is credited with founding the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a first-time place to acquire information and sources for improved day-to-day living.  (By the way, the President has cut the funding for the budget that fed $6,000,000 to this facility.)  Following Chris' death, Dana served as Chairman of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, pushing Chris' goals further in his stead.  Dana was working on a book about the remarkable relationship she and Chris shared and their journey together.

We all are agonizing over this tragedy and ache for Will.  I ask that you keep him continually in your prayers, for the skills to cope with his incredible losses.  He is a wonderful kid and is the product of two magnificently positive people, so I have little doubt he will be okay.  Yet, we can do more than just hurt for him and hope for the best....we can also pray that the media leave him alone, and let him stay out of the public spotlight.

Again, I appreciate your sensitive comments, and your gestures of friendship. 

Yours in time,

Jo Addie
INSITE President/Editor

JANE SEYMOUR'S statement:

When Chris called me and told me he had found the love of his life he described Dana as a beautiful woman who sang like an angel. She was his angel. She showed us all the true power of love. An unflinching optimist who never let anything get her down and if she did she never showed us. She was an amazing mother who tried to give Will and Chris a normal family life despite the difficulties. She tirelessly helped Chris fight for stem cell research and the rights for those who were paralyzed. Her life made a huge difference to us all. She was a true inspiration who always brought a smile and her sense of humor to every occasion. - Jane Seymour

Hollywood Walk of Fame - 1997 (INSITE funded Chris's Star)*