A little boy with big eyes who attracted much community support has lost his battle with cancer. Eight days after his fifth birthday, Benjamin Sauer of Clarence Center died Tuesday night.After a bout of sudden headaches earlier this year, Ben was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. A fundraising campaign known as "Blue 4 Ben" gained widespread attention across the region. The hashtag #Blue4Ben caught on with many in the community.
Ben's mother kept the community up to date on the toll cancer was taking on Ben and his family online at Bensauer.blogspot.com. On Monday, she wrote "from what we can tell this is Ben's 11th hour."
Wednesday afternoon, a message on Blue4Ben's Facebook page read "Ben is with Jesus now. He took his first breath in heaven peacefully at 8:05pm last night. Thank you so much for praying. Our baby is at peace now."
Ben is survived by his parents Andy and Mindy Sauer, a twin brother Jack, and sister Megan
A service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at The Chapel at Crosspoint. Other arrangements will be private.