Christopher Reeve's Son Gives First Look at Amazing Progress in Spinal Cord Injury Research

Ten years after the death of actor and activist Christopher Reeve, his eldest son, Matthew, is revealing a "huge breakthrough" in the treatment of spinal cord injuries and wishes his dad were here to see it.

"It's hard not to think, 'What if he was here and what if he was present for this breakthrough?' " says Reeve, who offers PEOPLE an exclusive first look at a video showing the amazing progress made by four young men paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.

The men were told they would never be able to move again below their neck or chest but are now able to stand and move their hips, legs and toes with the help of a new therapy called epidural stimulation.

"As much as we miss him," the 34-year-old writer and director says of his famous dad, "there's a comfort in the fact that we wouldn't be where we are had it not been for his tireless advocacy."

Indeed, after the Superman actor was paralyzed in a 1995 horseback riding accident, he spent the last years of his life lobbying for cutting-edge research that might offer a cure. He and wife Dana Reeve, who died of lung cancer in 2006, worked tirelessly to improve the lives of six million Americans living with paralysis through the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Just a teenager when his very fit, athletic father became a quadriplegic, Reeve recalls how the latest research was often the subject of dinner table discussions.

"It was a big part of all of our lives," Reeve says of himself and his siblings, Alexandra Reeve Givens, 30, a senior counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Will, 22, a recent college graduate. All are involved in supporting the foundation's work.

"It's a huge honor to continue the work he started," Reeve says. "I don't come close to being as effective as he was, in terms of raising money and increasing awareness and his advocacy efforts, but it's a cause that's close to my heart."

Christopher Reeve with wife Dana and children Alexandra, Matthew and Will

Ken Regan / LFI

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Christopher Reeve's Son Gives First Look at Amazing Progress in Spinal Cord Injury Research