How the Brigham's 'child life' team helped Devin Suau through radiation treatments

BOSTON — A 6-year-old from Framingham has captured hearts across the country with the hashtag #WhyNotDevin, which has gained national attention from celebrities and athletes to police departments.

The hashtag has been a push to find a cure for Devin Suau.

He has a rare, cancerous brain tumor. It is inoperable, so he has been receiving treatment to buy him more time.

Monday was his last day of radiation treatment and his family invited FOX25 for a firsthand look at what hospital staff have been doing to make his treatment more comfortable.

The Suau family threw Devin a surprise party for his last day of treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

In January, Devin, the youngest of the four Suau boys, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

That’s an inoperable brain tumor with no known cure.

He's been given between eight months and two years to live. The past few months have been flooded with doctor’s appointments.

>>PHOTOS: Team #WhyNotDevin celebrates final treatment

For the past 6 weeks, he's undergone radiation treatment at the Brigham -- five days a week.
"It kind of hurts," Devin confessed.

To make his experience less scary, the hospital's “child life team” has been working with Devin to explain -- in terms he can understand -- what the machines are doing, and why he needs to go through this.

“So if we’re able to normalize the environment for the children and make it fun for them and exciting and incorporate play into it, it makes it easier for the children to get through the treatment,” child life team member Courtney Audet explained.

Devin wears a superhero cape in the hospital, channeling his favorite superhero: The Green Lantern.

His parents say Devin came up with that idea on his own. They say he never talked about the superhero character until his diagnosis.

“We have no idea where it came from,” Devin’s mom, Christine, said. “I like what he stands for and he has to have energy and the will.”

It helps Devin be brave.

“He can do anything,” Devin said.

Devin's child life specialists even helped him paint his radiation mask green.

It’s a mask to keep Devin in the same spot during his treatment every day. No one is allowed in the room when it happens, so he's alone. But the child life specialists have been able to make him comfortable enough so he hasn't needed anesthesia.

"If we had to sedate him, it would've been terrible but they were such a calming force," Christine said of the team.
Monday's final treatment was bittersweet as Devin said goodbye to his child life team.

The future is still uncertain for Devin and his family. They've exhausted their treatment options and they're now weighing clinical trials in the U.S. and outside the country.

For now, they're just trying to appreciate every small victory they can get.

You can find the family's GoFundMe page here.

Cox Media Group