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CNN Live Today

Reeve's Results

Aired September 24, 2002 - 10:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Reeve says that his progress is not merely a story of personal triumph, but should also serve as an inspiration to other victims of spinal injuries. He readily conceives that he has advantage of therapists and equipment, but says the same treatment can be performed by a family at home.
And joining us for a closer look at the regimen and its apparent results, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Let's get right to exactly what Christopher Reeve did in order to achieve the kind of results we saw on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. One of the things he did is he worked with a bike. You see him being strapped in there. His regimen was that for one hour, three times a week he worked on a bike.

As you see, someone is pedaling it for him. But what that does is reminds his muscles what it is like it move and keeps them stronger so that he regains some muscle strength. And what then happened after that is that once he got some muscle function, those muscles still couldn't oppose gravity. So what doctors did is they put him in a pool and he was able to move those muscles in a pool, because obviously he doesn't have to worry about the effects of gravity.

Now in addition to having the obvious advantages we just saw. He got fewer infections once he started this training. It also reversed the osteoporosis that he had been experiencing. What he did next was that he started a breathing regimen. Breathing, as you know, most of us don't think about it. What he had to do is he went on a machine, you see him here with his therapist at home, I visited him, this is a little over a year ago, he is forcing himself to breath inasmuch air as he possibly can.

These numbers here that the therapist are pointing to, that shows how much air he is taking in. I have to say, I have never seen so much determination on anyone ever. He knew what those numbers meant. He had a certain goal in mind that he wanted to reach, and he -- every ounce of his energy, was going to breath. Just like with his legs, he wanted to remind his diaphragm and other muscles what it was like it breath.

He, obviously, is a man with a mission. He has another mission, too, which is that he wants insurance companies to pay for this kind of regimen. What he says is now they don't. They help you get through the initial accident. They set you up with a wheelchair and teach you how to live in a wheelchair, but they don't teach you how to recover.

As we mentioned earlier, he has resources to pay for this. Most people don't. He remembered seeing stories about kids injured in Columbine, and they were just sitting in wheelchairs in their living rooms not doing any therapy, and it made him so frustrated, so angry that they weren't doing anything. So that's part of his mission as well.

KAGAN: He has determination, as you pointed out, but he has the financial resources that most people in his situation do not have. You would expect perhaps in the disabled community for him to be heralded that this is a wonderful thing, but the reaction is kind of mixed, both from doctors and from other patients.

COHEN: Right. We talked to doctors, and they said, but what are your patients saying. I talked to a doctor this morning saying, my patients who are in wheelchairs, obviously, they are impressed what we he is able to do, he is a remarkable human being, but that on the other hand, there was a lot of therapy, a lot of money and he is not able to walk, he is not able to dress himself. My patient don't want to be able to wiggle their fingers, they want to regain function in life.

KAGAN: It also brings up the debate this is a time of limited resources, especially in health care. Do you take that money and shoot for that long-awaited cure that may be past lives of people who are living now, or do you meet the needs of disabled community that are living and trying to deal with the situation now?

COHEN: Those folks have more immediate concerns than someone with Christopher Reeve's money wouldn't have. They have immediate concerns about employment, immediate concerns about just having money to live basically and getting through the day. So they may have concerns not about, gee, I would like to get my fingers to wiggle or he can push against pressure if you push against his feet. That's not their goal. Their goal is much more immediate, to be able to get through the day and not go bankrupt.

KAGAN: All that being said, you got to cheer him on.

COHEN: It's just amazing. Watching someone with that determination was an incredible thing.

KAGAN: Inspiring, I'm sure.

COHEN: Inspiring, I'm sure. Absolutely.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 24, 2002 - 10:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Reeve says that his progress is not merely a story of personal triumph, but should also serve as an inspiration to other victims of spinal injuries. He readily conceives that he has advantage of therapists and equipment, but says the same treatment can be performed by a family at home.
And joining us for a closer look at the regimen and its apparent results, our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Let's get right to exactly what Christopher Reeve did in order to achieve the kind of results we saw on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. One of the things he did is he worked with a bike. You see him being strapped in there. His regimen was that for one hour, three times a week he worked on a bike.

As you see, someone is pedaling it for him. But what that does is reminds his muscles what it is like it move and keeps them stronger so that he regains some muscle strength. And what then happened after that is that once he got some muscle function, those muscles still couldn't oppose gravity. So what doctors did is they put him in a pool and he was able to move those muscles in a pool, because obviously he doesn't have to worry about the effects of gravity.

Now in addition to having the obvious advantages we just saw. He got fewer infections once he started this training. It also reversed the osteoporosis that he had been experiencing. What he did next was that he started a breathing regimen. Breathing, as you know, most of us don't think about it. What he had to do is he went on a machine, you see him here with his therapist at home, I visited him, this is a little over a year ago, he is forcing himself to breath inasmuch air as he possibly can.

These numbers here that the therapist are pointing to, that shows how much air he is taking in. I have to say, I have never seen so much determination on anyone ever. He knew what those numbers meant. He had a certain goal in mind that he wanted to reach, and he -- every ounce of his energy, was going to breath. Just like with his legs, he wanted to remind his diaphragm and other muscles what it was like it breath.

He, obviously, is a man with a mission. He has another mission, too, which is that he wants insurance companies to pay for this kind of regimen. What he says is now they don't. They help you get through the initial accident. They set you up with a wheelchair and teach you how to live in a wheelchair, but they don't teach you how to recover.

As we mentioned earlier, he has resources to pay for this. Most people don't. He remembered seeing stories about kids injured in Columbine, and they were just sitting in wheelchairs in their living rooms not doing any therapy, and it made him so frustrated, so angry that they weren't doing anything. So that's part of his mission as well.

KAGAN: He has determination, as you pointed out, but he has the financial resources that most people in his situation do not have. You would expect perhaps in the disabled community for him to be heralded that this is a wonderful thing, but the reaction is kind of mixed, both from doctors and from other patients.

COHEN: Right. We talked to doctors, and they said, but what are your patients saying. I talked to a doctor this morning saying, my patients who are in wheelchairs, obviously, they are impressed what we he is able to do, he is a remarkable human being, but that on the other hand, there was a lot of therapy, a lot of money and he is not able to walk, he is not able to dress himself. My patient don't want to be able to wiggle their fingers, they want to regain function in life.

KAGAN: It also brings up the debate this is a time of limited resources, especially in health care. Do you take that money and shoot for that long-awaited cure that may be past lives of people who are living now, or do you meet the needs of disabled community that are living and trying to deal with the situation now?

COHEN: Those folks have more immediate concerns than someone with Christopher Reeve's money wouldn't have. They have immediate concerns about employment, immediate concerns about just having money to live basically and getting through the day. So they may have concerns not about, gee, I would like to get my fingers to wiggle or he can push against pressure if you push against his feet. That's not their goal. Their goal is much more immediate, to be able to get through the day and not go bankrupt.

KAGAN: All that being said, you got to cheer him on.

COHEN: It's just amazing. Watching someone with that determination was an incredible thing.

KAGAN: Inspiring, I'm sure.

COHEN: Inspiring, I'm sure. Absolutely.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com