Documentary filmmaker paralyzed from shoulders down credits Jane Seymour with inspiring him
CAMBRIDGE - A recent Harvard graduate produced a documentary film that is being released 29 years to the day he became paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Trent McGee was 7 years old when his parent's car was struck by a vehicle in California. McGee says their car was hit broadside by a criminal fleeing police.
"The light turned green, and my Mom pulled into the intersection, and I have no recollection of that entire day," tells McGee, "Next thing I know, I woke up in hospital with tubes in my mouth."
Since the accident, he has been wheelchair-bound and on a respirator. Two years after the accident, he met actress Jane Seymour and actor James Keach. The three were attending an event for the Christopher Reeve Foundation. The two stars began bringing him on set.
"They would always put me behind the cameras and show me what it was like to be a director," remembers McGee.
These experiences became the spark for a career producing films. His latest project releases on July 11, and is a World War II documentary called "Angels of the Sky."
"I interviewed five World War II veterans from the 8th Air Force who all got shot down, and were prisoners of war in German territory," explains McGee, "If you don't take the time to write down their stories, they are lost forever."
The July 11 release date happens to coincide with the 29th anniversary of McGee's crash. He says this was not planned, and that the company releasing the film had no idea of the significance of the day.
McGee just graduated from Harvard with a political science degree. He plans to go to graduate school next. The hope is to use his education to work for the ACLU to fight for the rights of quadriplegic Americans. He may also look to become a professor to teach about injustice.
