Christopher Reeve, a well-known actor, family man, and outdoor enthusiast, was paralyzed from the neck down in a horseback riding accident in 1995. He became an advocate for and started The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to raise awareness and study treatments for paralysis. He passed away in 2004 due to complications from his injury, leaving behind a legacy.
His children continue his work in his memory. His son, Will Reeve, recently completed a documentary, following in his father’s footsteps, on a journey of a lifetime. As father and son, they shared a special bond. Will sees his father as his special hero and inspiration. Will Reeve was only 2 years old when his father had his accident.
Before his accident, Christopher worked on the documentary In the Wild: Gray Whales with Christopher Reeve, tracking the Pacific gray whale migration. Being paralyzed prevented him from finishing the documentary. Thirty years later, Will retraces Christopher’s journey to visit the same places his father visited in Mexico and on an island near the Arctic Circle. Will participated in the same activities Christopher did from making tortillas with a local fishing family, sailing in a walrus skin boat to touching a grey whale. On February 26th, ABC aired the primetime special titled Finding My Father, about Will Reeve’s quest to relive the final adventures of his father, Christopher Reeve.
Will’s journey starts at the San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico. There, he is greeted by the local people and connects with Pancho, whose father, Pachico, had guided Christopher when he visited.
During Christopher’s visit, Pachico spoke to Christopher about whale biology and migration. When Will visits, Pancho gives Will a tour of the area and teaches him the same lessons on whale biology and migration, which include the amazing opportunity to touch the whales. Will is excited to learn from Pancho and touch whales that possibly could have been the same whales his father engaged with 30 years earlier. Will continues the adventure by traveling to the next stop on his father’s trip, Gambell, Alaska. There, he visits with Leonard Jr., the son of Leonard Sr., who had hosted his father, Christopher. There, the whales have migrated. Will’s mission is to venture out on the water to see the whales once again. Unfortunately, the water conditions are unsafe to go out on the water, and Will is forced to reflect on his journey without the final activity.
There is the idea that aquatic mammals can bring two humans closer together. In Will’s case, this was whales – bringing him and his father together in an unexpected way. The way whales interact with their babies to teach them the skills they need to be independent and fend for themselves is comparable to how parents teach their children. Will experienced this closeness through his adventures visiting the places and participating in the same whale activities his father had done. For Will, this brought him closer to his father.
