CHRISTOPHER REEVE, who was paralyzed in a near-fatal horseback riding accident in 1995, said he has regained some movement and can feel mild sensations in his arms and legs.

　　A spokesperson for the superstar said Reeve can now move his right wrist, the fingers of his left hand and his feet and can feel the sensations of hot and cold. She says there is even a possibility he may walk again.

　　“To be able to feel the just lightest touch is really a gift,” Reeve tells People magazine in the September 23 issue.

　　The former man in blue has been working diligently toward recovery for the past three years with Dr. John McDonald, medical director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

　　The renowned specialist told People that the strides Reeve has taken do indeed border on superhero status. He said the actor has made unprecedented progress with the “activity-based” treatment and might one day fulfill his dreams of stepping out of his wheelchair.

　　McDonald said Reeve’s advances defied previous scientific expectations, when experts predicted that he would never be able to feel or move from the neck down.

　　Reeve exercises an average of three hours a week on a special computerized bicycle. While such workouts help build muscle mass, bone density and cardiovascular health, McDonald hopes it will encourage spinal cord cells to “remember” what it’s like to be involved in leg movements.

　　In the past three years, Reeve has not been hospitalized. He can speak louder and longer, and has had only a few minor medical complications.

　　The 49-year-old actor said he is thrilled with his progress and said that for the first time in seven years, he can feel hugs from his loved ones.

　　“The fact is that even if your body doesn’t work the way it used to, the heart and the mind and the spirit are not diminished. It’s as simple as that,” Reeve told People.

　　The actor’s progress, attitude and activism have been legendary since he severely damaged his spinal cord and was paralyzed from the neck down seven years ago. He shocked the medical field when he regained some feeling and motor functions below his shoulders two years after his accident, a feat previously deemed impossible by the experts.

　　He has also helped raise millions for research and established the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to study spinal injury research. Reeve has been a vocal activist for various medical crusades and has even remained a presence in Hollywood by directing and starring in several TV projects, all while confined to a wheelchair.

　　Reeve documents his progress in a new book, Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life, and in an ABC program that will air September 18. (SD-Agencies)