Optimus Prime rolls into Ontario for Evan Leversage
Stunt truck seen in Transformers movie travelled from Georgia in support of terminally ill boy
Optimus Prime — the truck that played the robotic hero in the movie Transformers: Age of Extinction — travelled from Georgia to Brantford, Ont. on Thursday in support of Evan Leversage, the seven-year-old local boy with an inoperable brain tumour.
"Currently it's really hard to understand Evan, with the illness progressing he is no longer able to talk," said Evan's mother Nicole Wellwood.
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Wellwood said Evan can only communicate by nodding his head and giving a thumbs up.
"The smiles on his face says it all, being his mom I'm pretty sure he's pretty happy that Optimus has made the trek down to support Evan and his legacy," she said.
Evan was not well enough to tour the truck. But his mother, two brothers and cousins got to check it out.
"It means the world to me. Children often get overlooked when a sibling is sick, a lot of attention goes on that child, and it's really good they get to represent Evan and have that attention on them too, and they get to keep having special moments because this has been a very difficult time on them," said Wellwood.
Evan is now in palliative care and only has weeks left to live according to doctors.
"I'm terrified about what the future holds, but the support and love that I've been shown and that's been shown to our family and to Evan especially, people have become an inspiration to me," said Wellwood.
Evan's hometown of St.George, Ont. celebrated an early Christmas for him in October after doctors told his family he likely would not make it to the holidays.
A full parade marched through the town, and Evan got a seat in Santa's sleigh.
In partnership with the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, Evan's family set up a research fund named "Evan's Legacy."
They hope to translate some of the awareness they've raised in the last few months into research dollars.