Wed, 11 April 2007 12:00:00 ET
After given Christopher Reeve's sophisticated wheelchair, Smithsonian Institution of museums demands more health items of the star so that they can tell a 'story'.
Christopher Reeve's high-tech wheelchair has been snubbed by the Smithsonian Institution of museums. The late 'Superman' star's family were left devastated when Washington's Museum of American History "wanted more than the wheelchair" - requesting additional items relating to Christopher's battle with quadriplegia.
Museum curator Katherine Ott told the New York Post newspaper: "We want more than the wheelchair. We need the whole history of his experience, not just one piece. We want the fuller story, not just the chair. What if people look at only the chair 50 years from now? It won't tell the whole story."
Deborah Morosini, the sister of Christopher's late wife, Dana - who died of lung cancer in 2005 - said she had offered the institution the chair, but was upset by the additional requests. The other items the museum asked for included Christopher's medications, exercise equipment, a special bike and a tiltboard. They also requested literature the star had collected and letters he wrote detailing his condition, which was caused by a horse-jumping accident in 1995.
Before his death in 2004, Christopher was a symbol of hope to paralysed people all over the world, and dedicated his life to furthering awareness of the condition.
