Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve's Relationship Timeline Explained

When Superman star Christopher Reeve first met an unknown singer-actress named Dana Morosini in the late '80s, they likely would never have been able to guess the kind of life they were about to embark on together.

Though they would face unthinkable tragedy, they would also end up changing the world for the better via their dedication to advancing research in spinal cord injury.

Below, we take a look at Christopher and Dana Reeve's incredible relationship timeline.

"It was love at first sight for Chris," author Christopher Anderson, who published a book about Christopher and Dana, told CBS in 2008. "They were at the Williamstown theater festival. He was a big movie star. She was singing. He walks into a cabaret and sees this beautiful 26-year-old. He said 'I fell hook, line and sinker.' She had to be persuaded. She wasn't quite sure what he was up to. He charmed her pretty quickly."

"After four years she wanted a commitment," Anderson told CBS. "Her parents had been married 45 years. His family was shattered. His parents divorced, remarried. He had siblings and half siblings. He didn't believe in marriage. She said, 'look, we're going to call it off.' He said, 'no, no let me go through therapy' ..."

Christopher was able to work through his reservations about getting married. The couple got pregnant with their son William, and soon after that, Christopher and Dana officially tied the knot on April 11, 1992.

The couple welcomed their first and only child together, William, on June 7, 1982. Christopher also had two children named Matthew and Alexandra from his previous relationship with Gae Exton.

William (or Will) would go on to become a correspondent for ABC News. Matthew works in the film industry, while Alexandra works in law and politics.

During a jumping competition, Christopher fell from his horse and suffered a spinal injury that would cause paralysis from the neck down. After learning of his condition in the hospital, Christopher reportedly wanted to give up and let doctors pull the plug. But Dana told him she loved him and would stay with him forever and care for him. She even initially made a compromise with him, saying that if he still felt the same way in two years, they could reassess the situation.

But Christopher lived on for 10 more eventful years, with Dana by his side. They created the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which was later renamed to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, with a dedication to "curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis," per the foundation's site.

Christopher died on Oct. 10, 2004, from heart failure. He had always remained determined to walk again, having previously told the LA Times a year after his accident: "I think that setting challenges is a great motivator, because too many people with disabilities allow that to become the dominating factor in their lives, and I refuse to allow a disability to determine how I live my life. I don’t mean to be reckless, but setting a goal that seems a bit daunting actually is very helpful toward recovery."

Though he didn't walk again, he did make several incredible improvements over the years, including regaining some sensation in his body and regaining some movement in his hands and feet. He could also move his legs when he lied down on his back, and "discovered a greater range of motion while immersed in a swimming pool," per Biography.com.

Dana suffered two more devastating blows in the months following her husband's death: first her mother died, and then she found out she had stage 4 lung cancer. Dana ended up passing away from the lung cancer on March 6, 2006. On the first anniversary of her death, the Christopher Reeve Foundation announced that it had changed its name to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.