Editing Christopher Reeve (section)

==Health problems and death==
During his teenage years, Reeve suffered from occasional bouts of [[asthma]] and allergies.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (2002), p. 40</ref> He sustained injuries in various sports activities, such as a broken ankle while skiing and a fractured rib from a riding mishap while training for ''Anna Karenina''.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), p. 31</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=Episode #2.11 |series=Aspel & Company|network=ITV |date=March 23, 1985 |season=2}}</ref> At Kessler Rehabilitation Center, he discovered that he hadn't fully recovered from [[malaria]], which he contracted while scouting filming locations in [[Kenya]] in 1993.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), p. 96</ref>

He had a rare condition called [[mastocytosis]], which made him vulnerable to [[anaphylaxis]], and more than once he had a [[adverse drug reaction|severe reaction]] to a drug. While at Kessler, he tried a drug which was theorized to help reduce damage to the spinal cord. The drug caused him to go into anaphylactic shock, and his heart stopped. He claimed to have had an [[out-of-body experience]] and remembered saying, "I'm sorry, but I have to go now", during the event. In his autobiography, he wrote, "and then I left my body. I was up on the ceiling.&nbsp;... I looked down and saw my body stretched out on the bed, not moving, while everybody—there were 15 or 20 people, the doctors, the EMTs, the nurses—was working on me. The noise and commotion grew quieter as though someone were gradually turning down the volume." After receiving a large dose of [[epinephrine (medication)|epinephrine]], he woke up and stabilized later that night. Two days later, he gave it another try, but experienced the same anaphylactic reaction and was immediately given epinephrine.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), pp. 106–108</ref>

At age 16, he developed [[alopecia areata]]. Generally, he was able to comb over the bald spots and often the problem disappeared for long periods.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (2002), p. 6</ref> The condition became more noticeable after he became paralyzed. He was given a medication for it, but an adverse reaction caused all the hair on his body to fall out, including his eyebrows and eyelashes.<ref>{{cite web |last=Addie |first=Jo |title=Christopher Reeve's "Courageous Steps" |url=https://www.somewhereintime.tv/article_courageous.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214133713/https://www.somewhereintime.tv/article_courageous.htm |archive-date=December 14, 2024 |access-date=December 14, 2024 |website=INSITE}}</ref>

During 1996 and 1997, Reeve was frequently hospitalized for [[Autonomic dysreflexia|dysreflexia]], pneumonia, a collapsed lung, and two blood clots.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), p. 274</ref> On one occasion, he was put incorrectly in a wheelchair, which caused him to fall and break his left arm. A titanium rod was inserted inside his [[humerus]] bone to stabilize his arm.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), p. 256</ref> In 1997, a small ulcer on his left ankle became infected, eventually spreading to the bone. He was warned that his leg might have to be amputated to prevent further spread of infection. Reeve sought help from specialists at [[Albany Medical Center]], who examined his leg, [[Debridement|removing]] the dead tissue and putting him on powerful [[antibiotic]]s, although he developed an allergy after eight days. His leg fully healed a few months later.<ref>Reeve, Christopher (1998), p. 263</ref><ref name="The Guardian"/>

In early October 2004, he was being treated for an infected [[pressure ulcer]] that was causing [[sepsis]], a complication he had experienced many times before. On October 4, 2004, he spoke at the [[Shirley Ryan AbilityLab|Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago]] on behalf of the institute's work; it was his last reported public appearance.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23222-2004Oct11.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Joe | last=Holley | title=A Leading Man for Spinal Cord Research | date=October 12, 2004}}</ref> On October 9, 2004, Reeve attended his son Will's hockey game. That night, he went into cardiac arrest after receiving an antibiotic for the infection. He fell into a coma, and was taken to [[Northern Westchester Hospital]] in [[Mount Kisco, New York]]. Eighteen hours later, on October 10, Reeve died at the age of 52.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101123&page=1|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120330171312/http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=101123&page=1|archive-date = March 30, 2012|title = Christopher Reeve Dead at 52|website = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> No [[autopsy]] was performed. However, both Reeve's wife, Dana, and his doctor, John McDonald, believed that an adverse reaction to a drug caused his death.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 22, 2005|title=TRANSCRIPTS: CNN LARRY KING LIVE - Interview With Christopher Reeve's Widow, Dana|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-02-22/segment/01|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-10|publisher=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622230829/http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0502/22/lkl.01.html |archive-date=June 22, 2007 }}</ref>

His remains were [[Cremation|cremated]] at [[Ferncliff Cemetery]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ferncliffcemetery.com/visit-ferncliff/celebrities-notables/|title=Celebrities & Notables – Ferncliff Cemetery Association}}</ref> where his ashes were sprinkled in the wind by his family.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Liebson |first1=Richard |title=Famous people buried or cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale: list |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2018/07/19/ferncliff-cemetery-famous-people-buried-cremated/801782002/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |work=The Journal News |date=19 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Doyle |first1=Bill |title=Christopher Reeve's legacy and his ties to Jersey |url=https://nj1015.com/christopher-reeves-legacy-and-his-ties-to-jersey/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |work=New Jersey 101.5 |date=25 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> A memorial service for Reeve was held at the [[Unitarian Universalist Association|Unitarian Church]] in [[Westport, Connecticut]], which was officiated by Frank Hall.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Christopher Reeve: A Life for All Seasons – October 31, 2004 {{!}} The Unitarian Church in Westport|date=September 16, 2010|url=https://uuwestport.org/christopher-reeve-a-life-for-all-seasons-october-31-2004/|access-date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> Another private memorial service held at the Juilliard School three weeks later was attended by more than 900 people, with speakers.<ref name="Juilliard">{{cite web |date=October 30, 2004 |title=Reeve's Juilliard memorial draws 900 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-30-et-reeve30-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612230927/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-30-et-reeve30-story.html |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |access-date=January 25, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>