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Devin Suau, lovable boy who captured hearts of people everywhere, passes away

By Steven Yablonski
By Steven Yablonski

BOSTON — Devin Suau, the lovable Framingham boy who captured the hearts of people everywhere, has sadly passed away after a brave fight with a rare form of pediatric cancer.

He was six years old.

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We all got to know Devin and his story earlier this year when we spoke with his family shortly after he was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

Christine and James Suau, Devin’s parents, said they took him to a hospital in January after receiving a concussion while snowboarding. While their son was being evaluated, that’s when the doctors discovered the inoperable tumor on his brain stem.

At the time, he was given anywhere from eight months to two years to live.

“Being told that your 6 year old has a maximum of two years of life is beyond anything you can comprehend,” Christine told Boston 25 News at the time.

Following the diagnosis the family set up a GoFundMe page to collect donations to help pay for Devin’s treatments, and started the hashtag #WhyNotDevin with the hopes of raising awareness about the disease and to help fund more research to find a cure.

#WhyNotDevin took off.

Devin started receiving well-wishes from people around the world from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker, to Kim Kardashian-West, Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell and Mel Gibson. He was even blessed by Pope Francis in Rome.

Devin was also sworn in by local police departments and signed to several sports teams.
In the few short months before his death, Devin continued with rigorous treatments at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

He would wear a superhero cape to channel his favorite superhero, The Green Lantern.
His mom and dad said that idea was 100 percent his, and he never even talked about superheroes until his diagnosis.

After exhausting all options locally, Devin and his family began to travel to London to receive more treatments. One of those trips lasted two-and-a-half weeks to have brain surgery, and then recover.

 

He then received a hero’s welcome at Logan International Airport in June after returning home from receiving treatment overseas.

 

And for a little boy who had been through so much during his short time on Earth, a forever-smiling Devin was never afraid to wave to crowds cheering him on wherever he went.

>>Learn More: What is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma?

We knew Devin’s health had started to take a turn for the worse in September when 1,000 runners, including his mother Christine, gathered in Framingham in September for the Devin’s Dash 5K fundraiser. Devin was in attendance, but we first saw him at the end of the race when his mother crossed the finish line.

On Sept. 27 the family announced more heartbreaking news.

“Our sweet superhero isn’t doing do great and has been admitted to the hospital,” the family announced on social media. “We need as many prayers as possible now. Please send up all the prayers, positive vibes and well wishes you can.”

Then, the news no one wanted to hear, came nearly a month later on Friday, Oct. 20.

Devin passed away Friday morning surrounded by his family.

The Suau family is asking condolences be sent to #WhyNotDevin PO Box 755, Framingham, MA 01701.

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