2005 - despite having never smoked, she was diagnosed with lung cancer
Singer with a cabaret act.
Suffering from lung cancer and undergoing treatment. [August, 2005]
Dana Reeve Detailed Biography
Dana Reeve (born February 19, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is a founding board member and chairperson of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
She was born Dana Morosini in New York City to cardiologist Charles Morosini and his late wife, Helen (who died of complications from ovarian cancer). Dana Morosini graduated cum laude from Middlebury College where she also later received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, and she pursued graduate studies in acting at the California Institute of the Arts.
She married actor Christopher Reeve in April 1992, and they had one child, William, who was born on June 7, 1992.
In 1995, she was thrust into the role as a very public supporter and caretaker for her husband, Christopher, when he was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident. After his death on October 10, 2004, she assumed the role of chairperson of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which funds research on paralysis and works to improve the lives of the disabled. To date, it has awarded $55,000,000 (USD) in research grants and $7.5 million in quality-of-life grants. She also has a career as a motivational speaker and an activist for the rights of disabled persons and for stem cell research.
She endorsed John Kerry for president and appeared in public with him in October 2004, shortly before the election.
Her many singing and acting credits including appearances on television, where she has had featured roles on Law & Order and All My Children, among others. She has performed at theatres on Broadway, off-Broadway, and at numerous regional theatres. In 2000 she co-hosted a live daily talk show for women on the Lifetime Network. She sang the title song on the soundtrack of the HBO drama, In the Gloaming directed by her husband. She also wrote and published, Carepackages: Letters to Christopher Reeve from Strangers and Other Friends. In 2004, she was performing in the Broadway-bound play Brooklyn Boy in California when she had to rush home to reach her husband's bedside before he died.
