Christopher Reeve was allergic to horses. It is one of the stunning ironies in a life filled with them.

Among them: He would likely not have been remembered in iconic terms had his life not been upended by a 1995 horseback-riding accident that left him paralyzed.

That, at least is the view of Washington, Conn., author Christopher Andersen, whose new book, “Somewhere in Heaven: The Remarkable Love Story of Dana and Christopher Reeve,” chronicles the romance between the couple. Continue Reading »

Utah woman works hard daily to escape from wheelchair

Four years ago, Maggie Anderson’s spine was crushed when the minivan she was riding in hit black ice, flipped and landed on her.

Anderson will forever regret not strapping on a seat belt that day in Idaho. But at 21, she’s found joy in life, good friends and even a chance of escaping her wheelchair. Continue Reading »

Hard-driving Bay State disabled veterans brought home gold, silver and bronze medals after a week of fierce competion during the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha, Neb.

According to Kim Byers, spokeswoman for the event, 500 military-veterans-turned-athletes – including at least a dozen from Massachusetts – challenged themselves and each other in what has become the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world.

“You feel like it’s a true Olympic event. Everybody is supporting you, and they want you to succeed,” said Rosemary Cahill, 53, of Yarmouthport. Continue Reading »

Matt Hampson might well have been in Auckland this summer, playing for the England rugby team as they took on New Zealand. After all, many of his former team-mates were.

But Matt was instead at home in Rutland, confined to a wheelchair, paralysed from the neck down, unable to move any part of his body save for his head, his breathing dependent on a Ventilator.

The horrific accident that transformed Matt’s life happened nearly three years ago when, while training with his international colleagues in Northampton, the scrum collapsed and the former prop forward, who played for the Leicester Tigers and the England Under 21 side, suffered a dislocated neck and a trapped spinal cord.

Still smiling: Matt is hoping to walk again Continue Reading »

This intimate portrait focuses on Chris’ remarkable recovery ofmovement and his constant fight to fully regain his mobility. Continue Reading »

Four Paraplegic men are literally pushing themselves across the country in a bid to raise $10 million for promising spinal cord injury research at McMaster University.

The four athletes, aged 43 to 65, have journeyed more than 5,000 kilometres since they strapped themselves into their hand cycles on June 10 in Victoria, B.C.

So far they have picked up only a few cheques from kind strangers along the way, but they say the main goal of the Wheel to Walk tour is to spread the message about the research being done by the Neurorestorative Group at McMaster. Continue Reading »

Dear fellow advocates-

Here at U2FP, we have good news and bad news. The bad news first-Yet again, the CDRPA did not pass into law. The good news? It came closer than we knew was possible, once upon a time. More good news, there is still a chance for passage; the fight is not yet over. Continue Reading »