Sometimes, you learn the hard and painful way. This is the case with people who encounter near death experiences that leave them broken. Still, they choose to pursue a mission to help others avoid a similar fate, and to become whole again.

Founded in 1982, The Reeve Foundation – which is known as a charitable organization – was renamed to Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to commemorate the very traits that the couple displayed, for the foundation to help people get informed about spinal cord injuries: “partnership, courage and compassion.”

Incidentally, Reeve came out of a horse riding accident in 1992 which made him quadriplegic, or in simpler terms, the loss of use of limbs.

The field of spinal cord research has changed drastically since then, and now it is a promising arena. The Quality of Life Program, which is considered the legacy of Dana, offers a grants program and a Paralysis Resource Center that keeps the life-changing information drive going.

Christopher and Dana Reeve may have been paralyzed both physically and emotionally because of the tragedy, but they were able to turn their bitter experience into something positive for the benefit of others.