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Reagan Eve O'Neil
Player: Lori
Relationships: Single
Reagan, "Rea" (pronounced Ray-ah), Eve O'Neil is the only child of a now retired United States Air Force Colonel and a licensed practical nurse. Her parents married late in life, and consequently, they never expected to be able to conceive. Thus, it was a shock and then a delightful surprise when four years into their marriage, Thomas and Eleanore O'Neill learned they were expecting a daughter. Although a miracle, the pregnancy was not without its complications and risks, and their joy turned to fear when Eleanore gave birth to Reagan two months early.
Modern medicine managed to save Reagan's life, but her underdeveloped lungs prevented enough oxygen from getting to her brain, and as a result, she suffered a brain bleed when she was less than 24 hours old. At the time, doctors could not predict how this would affect Reagan's quality-of-life, but they were convinced enough brain damage had been done to ensure some degree of physical or mental impairment. Reagan's parents refused to give up hope and they resolved to treat their daughter like any other child. By 18 months old, when it was clear Reagan was not sitting up or crawling on schedule, they took her to the doctor where her parents learned that she had cerebral palsy and would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair.
While this news was not easy to take, the O'Neills once again refused to give up hope. Though it was clear Reagan faced some physical challenges, she suffered no impairments mentally, and her parents were determined to nurture her natural intellectual gifts. With their support, Reagan never saw herself as disabled or disadvantaged in any way and she learned to embrace her challenges with humor and determination. She experienced her fair share of teasing, however, especially during adolescence when being accepted is so important, and consequently, she tended to pour all her energy into her education. Because she understood what it was like to be different, Reagan developed a strong sense of empathy, and this also fostered a general curiosity about human behavior.
It wasn't until she entered college that Reagan finally came out of her shell socially and began to explore what she wanted to do with her life. Majoring in psychology seemed a perfect fit, and by the end of her junior year, she knew she wanted to pursue advanced degrees in clinical psychology. Academically, Reagan consistently remained in the top 5% of the class throughout her Bachelors and Masters degree programs at Llanview University in Llanview Pennsylvania, but the years she spent completing her internships provided challenges she had never experienced before. Working as an intern for the largest community mental health centerr in town, with its inaccessible accommodations and overworked and underpaid staff, meant that Reagan often had to depend on people who resented her for needing extra help.
She would have given up were it not for the support of her parents and friends as well as for her passion to help people. She particularly enjoyed working with male and female trauma survivors, and she took comfort in the small successes she experienced even though it was difficult completing her hours in such a negative environment. After graduating with highest honors, no one was surprised when Reagan decided to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology and to specialize in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Once again, Reagan thrived academically, but encountered obstacles when it came time to complete her internship. Just before she was to graduate, an undergraduate student who'd been coming to her for counseling revealed the chairman of Reagan's dissertation committee had been making inappropriate sexual advances toward the student for over two years.
Outraged and determined to do whatever it took to help her client seek justice, Reagan supported the student throughout the lengthy legal battle. Unfortunately for Reagan, the professor who stood accused was well-liked and well respected at the university and in the community, while the student, and by extension Reagan, were seen as outsiders. Eventually, other students found the courage to come forward and expose the professor's immoral and illegal behavior and Reagan was allowed to graduate with highest honors. Still, in the small town of Llanview, there remained a group of people who believed the professor was the target of a witchhunt, and Reagan's "whistleblower" status didn't help her find work after graduation.
Just as she was about to move to start fresh, she was approached by a private citizen who offered to pay her handsomely if she was willing to provide psychotherapy to a very unique client. Upon hearing the client's circumstances, Reagan was moved, and believing she was in a unique position to help the client, Reagan agreed. Unfortunately, this experience too left a bad taste in Reagan's mouth, and for reasons only she and her employer know, she was let go.
Reagan believed she had no choice but to take her earnings and move elsewhere to start anew. She and her personal aide, Meg Sterling, decided to relocate to Port Charles, New York after she was offered a position as a psychologist at General Hospital. She decided to accept the position, as it would provide her with a steady income, but still allow her to pursue a private practice.
Personality:
Although many people expected Reagan to return to her introverted self given all she's been through, the experiences have only made her more determined to live her life on her own terms. She is passionate about her work, unfortunately often to the exclusion of a personal life. Despite living as independently as possible, deep down, Reagan still struggles with self-doubt, often wondering if people truly accept her for who she is. As a consequence, she is driven to achieve and is prone to seek perfection in all aspects of her life even though intellectually, she knows this isn't possible. Reagan credits her challenging and often lonely childhood for giving her a strong sense of empathy and a seemingly endless maternal streak. Colleagues and friends consider her a caring individual who often uses humor and sarcasm to put people at ease. She is fiercely protective, and is not afraid to speak her mind when it comes to the people and causes she cares about.
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