A touching tribute to Mary Kennedy by the children of Christopher and Dana Reeve,

[pnwmom]

Alexandra, Matt, and Will.

The children, now all young adults, are still heavily involved in the works of the spinal cord foundation that Chris and Dana founded.

http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/dailydose/2012/05/21/remembering-mary-kennedy

Our strongest memories are of Mary as a mom: not only to her four kids, but to the endless cycle of friends and family that whirled through their house in Bedford, New York (less than 10 minutes from our own). Mary was a figure of calm in the middle of the commotion: as you walked in, she'd catch eyes with you and give a big smile - 'Hi! Have you eaten yet? Do you want to borrow sneakers to go play outside?'

After our Dad's accident in 1995, Mary and her family knew it wasn't always easy for us to pile into Dad's van to go visit them at their house. So instead, they came to us -- often unannounced. The front door would swing open and one, or two, or all of them would walk in, always with a smile. Whether it was a two minute drop-in to say 'hi' or a well-timed visit to join us watching that week's episode of '24', they knew that being there for someone often means just showing up.

And they didn't just show up for us; they showed up for the Foundation, too. They came to the Foundation's annual fundraisers year after year, forming bonds with each person they met and soon becoming an integral part of this wonderful community.

There came another time when Mary showed us the importance of showing up, too. In 2004, when Dad passed away, she was one of the first people who came over. Like she had done so many times before, Mary walked through the front door with a hug and a warm smile. And this time, she stayed. Stayed to cook meals. Stayed to clean up. Stayed to give her good friend Dana a hug when she needed it. Again, a figure of calm in the middle of the commotion. Two years later, when Dana passed away, Mary was there for us again.

SNIP

[elleng]

1. Thank you.