永遠的超人 Superman to the End

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For millions of fans,
he will always be Superman.
But to countless others,
he will be regarded forever as a
real-life hero.



演員兼導演克里斯托弗·里夫在一次騎馬事故中受傷癱瘓，但他此后的行為卻令全世界為之振奮。10月10日，他因心臟衰竭離開人世。

自1995年起，里夫頸部以下的身體就無法自主活動。他克服了極大的痛苦，積極、頑強地生活著。他將科學界、知名人士和政界團結在一起，鼓勵干細胞研究的各種嘗試，幫助尋找治療神經系統疾病的方法。在第二輪總統競選辯論中，當話題轉向使用人體胚胎細胞進行科學研究這一有爭議的問題時，約翰·克里還提到了里夫的工作。

事故發生前，里夫是一位出色的運動員：他在影片中親自出演特技，還酷愛戶外運動。20歲剛出頭，他就獲得了飛機駕照，兩次駕駛小型飛機單人飛越大西洋。他還是一位專業的水手、潛水員和滑雪運動員。

到了20世紀90年代，賽馬成了里夫的最愛。1995年5月，他參加了一場馬術跳躍賽。他的馬（在障礙前）突然停下，將他甩了出去。里夫一頭栽到了地上，他的脊柱最上端椎體因此骨折，頸部以下的身體立刻失去了知覺。及時的治療挽救了他的生命，復雜的手術固定了粉碎的椎體。

由于頸部高位脊髓的損傷，大腦發出的維持生命體征的信號也立刻被切斷了：他不能活動肢體，沒有知覺，不能呼吸�？死锼雇懈ァだ锓蛞粍硬粍拥靥稍卺t院的病床上，靠呼吸機維持著呼吸。他凝視著妻子戴納，用口形默示“或許我們應該放棄了�！痹谀莻�關鍵時刻，面對生死選擇的緊急關頭，戴納堅定地回答，“你依然是你，我愛你�！�

從那時起，他不但活了下來，還為自己、為家人、為全世界成千上萬脊髓損傷的人付出了不懈的努力。

里夫的樂觀和決心堅定不移，他在事故發生之后不久曾說，“以后一定會好起來�！崩锓蜻x擇了積極的生活態度，全身心地投入到為干細胞研究募集資金的事情上來。他創立了克里斯托弗·里夫癱瘓基金會，雖然研究進展緩慢，但他始終沒有放棄。

他充滿希望，始終堅信基金會的信條：“我們必須行動，我們可以嘗試，我們能夠做到。”

□天離 選譯




Superman to the End　



Christopher Reeve1, an actor and director who became an inspiration worldwide after being paralyzed in a horse riding accident, died of heart failure on October 10th.

Unable to move from the neck down since 1995, Reeve overcame devastating adversity to forge a life of passionate activism. He brought together the worlds of science, celebrity and politics to encourage efforts in stem cell2 research and help find cures for neurological disorders. During the second presidential debate, John Kerry mentioned Reeve’s work when the topic turned to the divisive question of using human embryos for scientific researches.

Reeve, before his accident, was known as a superb athlete who did his own stunts in films and was an avid outdoorsman. He earned his pilot’s license in his early 20s and twice flew solo across the Atlantic in a small plane. He was also an expert sailor, diver and skier.

By the 1990s, horses had become his passion. In May 1995, he was taking part in a jumping competition, when his horse balked and threw him. Reeve landed headfirst, fracturing the uppermost vertebrae in his spine. He was instantly paralyzed from the neck down. Prompt medical attention saved his life, and delicate surgery stabilized the shattered vertebrae.

With his spinal cord damaged high in his neck, the signals sent by the brain to keep his body alive instantly were cut off. He couldn’t move his limbs. He couldn’t feel his body. He couldn’t breathe. Immobilized in a hospital bed and unable to breathe without a machine pumping his lungs, Christopher Reeve looked into the eyes of his wife, Dana, and mouthed “Maybe we should let me go.” In that critical moment, with the choice of life or death in the balance, she unhesitatingly responded “you’re still you and I love you.”

Since then, he has not only survived, but has fought for himself, for his family, and for the hundreds of thousands of people with spinal cord injuries around the world.

Reeve’s optimism and determination were unflagging: “There’ll be a lot of nice years ahead,” he said soon after the accident. Making a choice to adopt a positive spirit, Reeve became devoted to raising money for stem cell research, and he created the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Even though it seemed that progress was slow, Reeve would not give up.

He was hopeful, and he stuck to the motto of his foundation: “We must. We can. We will.”

□By Ann Oldenburg





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1. Christopher Reeve: 克里斯托弗·里夫，1952年出生于紐約。他從小喜歡表演，從康乃爾大學獲得文學學士學位后，又進入朱利亞德戲劇學院進修戲劇，同著名演員羅賓·威廉姆斯同住一室。1978年他因在《超人》一片中的出色表演而成為人們心目中的超級英雄。之后他又拍攝了三部《超人》電影，他的幽默感和獨特魅力使那些影片成為不可超越的經典。

2. stem cell: 干細胞，一群尚未完全分化的細胞，具有分裂增殖成另一個與本身完全相同的細胞、以及分化成多種特定功能的體細胞兩種特性。過去人們認為腦細胞和神經細胞都不可再生，后來科學家發現部分區域的腦細胞和神經細胞是可以再生的，于是在受損部位移植可再生細胞的干細胞便成為治療神經系統疾病的希望。