Prayers on Wings Llc

In 1984, at the age of 11, Devin Nakasone learned he had leukemia. At the time of his diagnosis, he was found to be 98% leukemic. He came from a middle class family, with loving parents who worked hard so that they could afford a comfortable lifestyle for their only child. However, during three and a half years of chemotheraphy (under the care of Dr. Robert W. Wilkinson), and with mounting hospital bills, the financial burden and stress caused to his parents became very apparent to Devin, and his fear of dying soon turned to guilt for being sick. He hated watching his parents suffer, not only financially, but also emotionally and physically. As an only child, he had no siblings to turn to, and the medical treatments that attacked his body made him look and act differently from the other kids in school. As a result, he had very few friends, and most of them didn’t understand what was happening or how to help. During this time, his best friend was a simple rubber ducky whom he named “Ducky.”

Devin started Prayers on Wings in 2011. His mission, from the time he was battling cancer, was to make sure that children who are fighting for their lives know they can turn to their parents, siblings, or other loved one for comfort, understanding, and hope. Initially, he thought that he could give a rubber ducky to any child who felt alone. As his mission crystallized, he knew the duck was only meant to be a bridge between the child and their caretaker, or whomever they wished to be able to communicate with. 

Our rubber ducky workshops are the core of our organization and are for the patients and a loved one of their choice. The two would paint the ducks together, for each other, and then exchange them. Thus, the rubber ducky would symbolize the bond between the two, a promise to each other-- for the child to share their feelings and for their loved one to create a safe and supportive environment for open communication. Painting the ducks will become a happy memory that they can always cherish, and hopefully the ducks will remind them of their promise. Our mission continues to be to build bridges of communication between children in crisis and their loved ones.

Through working with POW and helping others, Devin has been able to heal a lot of the pain from his past. When asked what drives him he says “I do this for the ones who didn’t make it.”