Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 29, 1995 TAG: 9506290067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press|
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Reeve, who is unable to breathe without a ventilator, rode in an ambulance to the Charlottesville airport for the flight to West Orange, N.J., family members said. His wife, Dana Morosini, and their 3-year-old son, Will, accompanied him on the trip to The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.
``We are very hopeful,'' Morosini told reporters at the institute. ``We think we made a good choice in choosing Kessler. He is very happy to be here.''
Reeve, 42, had been treated at the University of Virginia Medical Center since May 27, when he was thrown from a horse during an equestrian event near Culpeper. Kessler is one of 13 federally designated spinal-cord injury facilities in the country.
Rehabilitation likely will involve weaning Reeve from the ventilator and fitting him with a wheelchair he could control by moving his eyes, chin, tongue or neck, said Janna Jacobs, the director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association.
Benjamin Reeve, his brother, said the actor's wife and son would divide their time between the institute and their home near New York City.
Thousands of letters for the actor poured into the Virginia hospital during his stay. Reeve's mother, Barbara Johnson, said Wednesday that she did not anticipate the high regard in which fans hold her son. She thanked hospital workers who helped handle the mail and fan inquiries.
``My plea is to hold him in your thoughts and prayers, but hold the mail,'' Johnson said at a news conference.
Dr. John Jane, who fused Reeve's broken vertebrae to stabilize his neck, said Wednesday that the left side of the actor's spinal cord sustained most of the damage.
``Every once in a while, we think we see a contraction in the pectoralis'' muscles of the chest, Jane said. Reeve has sensation on his left side from his shoulders to his leg and in his right shoulder.
When asked if Reeve would ever walk again, Jane replied, ``It's hard to say exactly what the odds are.''
Reeve landed on his head when his horse stopped unexpectedly, and the impact shattered his top two vertebrae and severely damaged his spinal cord. The University of Virginia Medical Center specializes in neurosurgery but not rehabilitation services, spokeswoman Marguerite Beck said.
by CNB