Community comes together to support boy with rare cancer through prayer
Dozens of people gathered yesterday for a prayer service to support 6-yearold Devin Suau, the Framingham boy who this week was moved to intensive care amid his battle with a rare form of brain cancer.
About 40 people offered prayers in Southboro for Suau, whose fight with a rare type of pediatric cancer has inspired the social media hashtag #whynotdevin.
The gathering at St. Mark’s Field was initially scheduled for next week, but Kate Diodati, a 38-yearold mother who helped organize it, said it was rescheduled after Devin’s mother wrote that he recently moved to the ICU at a local hospital after he developed increased swelling on his brain.
“There’s power in prayer and there’s power in community. There’s so much strength to be tapped into through us being together,” said Diodati, who said she doesn’t know Devin personally but was moved by his mother Christine Soutter Suau’s Facebook posts documenting his progress.
“She was just how I would be: She sounded exhausted and frustrated and angry at the situation,” Diodati said. “I just felt there needed to be an outward action to invite the community to come and pray for him, so she can see that his story — and their story — is reaching people.”
A video of the prayer service posted to Facebook had more than 3,000 views as of yesterday evening, including a note from Suau’s account. “We are watching and so very very thankful for your support and prayers!” it read.