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American Morning
Robin Williams Talks About Christopher Reeve
Aired September 26, 2002 - 09:17 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: There was a big birthday bash last night in New York. Not only was it a lot of fun, but it raised a lot of money for a good cause. Proceeds from the 12th annual birthday bash will go to Christopher Reeve's Paralysis Fund. A bunch of folks showed up who share the same birthday, and they get together every year, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Barbara Walters, Christopher Reeve, all born on September 25th. Robin Williams is very close to Reeve, and I talked to him about his friend's amazing new physical progress over the past year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: So many of us were moved seeing that movement in his hand, and when he talked last week about...
ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Hey, wait a minute. And then when starts doing this -- that's what, hey -- people aren't buying him touch-tone phones -- which is good -- and, you know, and the walking in the pool, you know, that alone and on the treadmill. Of course, it's with people placing the feet, but astonishing stuff.
And it's focusing not just for himself, but he's got perhaps half a million other people with the same disorder, the same problem, the same lack of movement, people on respirators, and lobbying, and keeping out there for them, to do -- to bring in the next 10 years, hopefully, the finish of it, to get everyone doing the same movement.
ZAHN: First time I interviewed Christopher after his injury, he said his dream was to walk again some day.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
ZAHN: And I know he still holds great hope.
WILLIAMS: I think he holds great hope, because he's also informed. It is not like, he is just like going, wouldn't it be nice, because he knows a lot of these great Nobel Prize scientists from all over the world who are doing the work now that they are getting the funding, combined with getting some of the, you know, access to once again, T-cells and other things that -- before not available but now, praise the power, they can do the research. And they will -- are finding incredible breakthroughs, and it spreads over to all different fields of medicine to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, all of these things, you know, are coming from this resource which is good.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 26, 2002 - 09:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: There was a big birthday bash last night in New York. Not only was it a lot of fun, but it raised a lot of money for a good cause. Proceeds from the 12th annual birthday bash will go to Christopher Reeve's Paralysis Fund. A bunch of folks showed up who share the same birthday, and they get together every year, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Barbara Walters, Christopher Reeve, all born on September 25th. Robin Williams is very close to Reeve, and I talked to him about his friend's amazing new physical progress over the past year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: So many of us were moved seeing that movement in his hand, and when he talked last week about...
ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Hey, wait a minute. And then when starts doing this -- that's what, hey -- people aren't buying him touch-tone phones -- which is good -- and, you know, and the walking in the pool, you know, that alone and on the treadmill. Of course, it's with people placing the feet, but astonishing stuff.
And it's focusing not just for himself, but he's got perhaps half a million other people with the same disorder, the same problem, the same lack of movement, people on respirators, and lobbying, and keeping out there for them, to do -- to bring in the next 10 years, hopefully, the finish of it, to get everyone doing the same movement.
ZAHN: First time I interviewed Christopher after his injury, he said his dream was to walk again some day.
WILLIAMS: Yes.
ZAHN: And I know he still holds great hope.
WILLIAMS: I think he holds great hope, because he's also informed. It is not like, he is just like going, wouldn't it be nice, because he knows a lot of these great Nobel Prize scientists from all over the world who are doing the work now that they are getting the funding, combined with getting some of the, you know, access to once again, T-cells and other things that -- before not available but now, praise the power, they can do the research. And they will -- are finding incredible breakthroughs, and it spreads over to all different fields of medicine to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, all of these things, you know, are coming from this resource which is good.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
