Obama Pays Tribute to Christopher Reeve

In honor of the President's executive order lifting the eight year ban on stem cell research instituted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, in 2001, Obama said that the nation owes a debt of gratitude to "Reeve, who with his wife Dana, created a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries."

In 1996, Reeve, then 44, was thrown from his horse during an eventing competition, permanently paralyzing him from the neck down. He was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he was able to exercise and move around with help from a specialized device he could manipulate with his mouth.

Reeve died in 2004 from complications stemming from an infection. Dana Reeve--nee Morosini--died two years later, of lung cancer. She was 44 years old.

In his announcement, Obama noted that he wished the couple could have been alive to attend the event.