Honoring the Memory of Christopher Reeve

The death of actor Christopher Reeve on October 10 adds extra poignancy to the Book Sense and A&E Network partnership that seeks to raise funds for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF). Booksellers were sent a special donation box created by A&E exclusively for Book Sense stores to collect money for CRPF in September's White Box.

A statement on the CRPF Web site, www.ChristopherReeve.org, notes that Reeve's family has requested that donations be made in his honor to the Foundation.

"We are sure that you share our sadness that his life and his important work have been cut short," said the statement. "Christopher was a hero to many people, yet he always said it was the ordinary people living with disability who were truly extraordinary.

"His memory will serve as inspiration for our ongoing work to find a cure for paralysis.... For those who care to do so, the family has requested that donations be made in his honor to the Foundation."

On Monday, October 25, A&E will air The Brooke Ellison Story, which was directed by Reeve and is based on the Hyperion book The Brooke Ellison Story, originally published as Miracles Happen, written by Brooke and Jean Ellison. Brooke Ellison was the victim of an automobile accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down when she was 11 years old. The Brooke Ellison Story illustrates the power of courage and determination, which led Ellison to become the first ventilator-dependent quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard University.

After the premiere of The Brooke Ellison Story on October 25 at 8:00 p.m./7:00 c., the two-hour movie will re-air several times throughout the following week.

Questions about bookstores' participation in this effort should be addressed to Associate Director of Book Sense Marketing Meg Smith at [email protected]. Questions about CRPF should be addressed to CRPF's director of marketing and communications, Julie Kwon, at (800) 225-0292.