Superman is a traditional archetype in our culture, this all-powerful but benign doer of good, protector and friend. If he could succumb to the frailties of mortal man, what's to become of the rest of us?
There are moments when the grief comes bubbling up. The first time I saw Chris's chair empty, that was really hard. And it was hard when I started folding up some of his sweaters that I so imagine him wearing.
I think the idea of time travel is very seductive.
As a caregiver, I always thought I had empathy for Chris's situation, and certainly one family member's disability affects the whole family dynamic in myriad ways. But as I go through various tests and discomforts and uncertainty about the future that cancer can bring, I feel a strong, visceral connection to what Chris went through.
Chris' absence is very much felt. There's just a huge void in our home life.
In the mornings I drop my son off at school and then head to work. I am done at work by 2:00 P. M. and can head home.
I made a vow to Chris when we married that I'd love him and I'd be with him in sickness and in health and I did OK with that.
Hope is a real thing. It's not pie in the sky.
Working on problems and self-examination is a sign of strength.
Chris had the unique and rare opportunity to be shown during his lifetime how many friends he has and how much they care.
Christopher pushed the boundaries beyond anything anyone could expect from any human being.
There's not a lot of creativity when you're dealing with a disability, there's not a lot of freedom and spontaneity.
I've learned a lot about grief, that it really is something that goes in cycles.
I'm a very famous wife but I'm still plodding along in my career.
I value my family more than anything. That's always paramount.
I am an actress and I do have to make a living.
But TV and movie schedules are always easier than a theater schedule, if you have a family.
Chris and I used to say, when he had his accident, 'Well, this is probably the worst thing that's ever happened to either one of us, but at least we had each other to go through it with.'
I am working as a co-host on a show called, 'Lifetime Live.' It's on the Lifetime cable network. My co-host is Deborah Roberts. She's a news correspondent with 20/20. We are billed as a news and information show. It's fun.
I don't live in the city, I don't work in a high-risk environment, and I am not a smoker. So it was never anything that would occur to me that I would get lung cancer, but the more I have learned about lung cancer is that it is becoming much more random, and it is striking women who are under 50 and are non-smokers and not in a risk environment.
