Dana Reeve, 44, succumbed Monday to lung cancer. (Note: she was a non-smoker; lung cancer is more prevelant in non-smoking women than men.)
A talented singer, actor, motivational speaker and devoted mother, Ms. Reeve made her biggest impact after her husband, actor Christopher Reeve, was paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. She cared for him and fought by his side to put the possibility and hope into finding treatments for spinal cord injuries. Together they founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation, an organization she chaired after her husband's death. We like to think that she was the Superwoman behind Superman.In an official statement from the foundation, spokeswoman Maggie Goldberg noted, "Ms. Reeve established the Foundation's Quality of Life initiatives: the Quality of Life grants program and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. Since its inception in 1999, the Quality of Life grants program has awarded more than $8 million to support programs and projects that improve the daily lives of people living with paralysis."
Dana Reeve's grace and passion inspired us and never stopped moving us. And, like Elizabeth Glazer in her battle against AIDS, Dana Reeve never stopped hoping, believing, and fighting, throughout her battle with cancer. She set the bar high for women, and we have to wonder. Are we up to the challenge?
With her on that bus is the most beloved player in baseball, Kirby Puckett, 45, who suffered a stroke on Sunday and passed away on Monday. Although the past ten years since his forced retirement from sudden onset glaucoma have reminded us that our heroes are mere mortals, Kirby Puckett gave us a reason again to love baseball.
And America loved him for it. How much? Consider this: In 1982, the year the Minnesota Twins picked Kirby Puckett in the amateur draft, the name "Kirby" dropped off the chart of male baby names (a list compiled by the Social Security Administration). The year after the Twins won the 1987 World Series, "Kirby" jumped almost 200 places on the list of male baby names from No. 867 to No. 684. In 1996, when Puckett left baseball, the name "Kirby" dropped to No. 970 on the list of top 1,000 male baby names. The next year it disappeared. (To read more, check out Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman's commentary on Kirby.)
Kirby Puckett modeled everything that is good in baseball. He not only played with excellence, he
worked the hardest and the longest. He was the first one at practice, and gave it his all, even in a meaningless exhibition game. In the clubhouse, he was the first one to welcome the new guy. He always had time for the fans, especially kids. And his puckish smile and joy for the game infected everyone around him. His unique batting stance was copied on playgrounds across the country. He was the guy the other ballplayers, teammate or opponent, always wanted to be near. He, too, set the bar high -- for excellence in sports.Our world shines a little dimmer today with their absence from our midst. But, oh, how brightly that bus must be shining. And the others on the bus are crowding around Kirby and Dana, wanting to bask in their light.
