Heartbroken mother hopes the world will join in praying for her terminally ill 4-year-old son

Chad (back) with his parents and two older brothers (Photo: Facebook/Tammi Curtis Carr)

A Michigan mother who received the devastating news this week that her 4-year-old son is terminally ill with brain cancer is hoping social media will bring a miracle to her family.

Tammi Curtis Carr took her son, Chad, to doctors for a check-up to make sure he was ok after falling over on and hitting his nose on Monday. But the MRI scan picked up something she never expected – an inoperable tumor on his brain stem.

Now little Chad is fighting for his life with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a condition with an average survival rate of just nine to 12 months, Fox News reports.

Tammi immediately turned to her Facebook page for support, writing: "We now need prayers and it's my hope that this goes viral and millions fall in love with [Chad] and send him prayers.

"It's going to take a miracle and I believe it can happen and I hope you will help and spread his story!"

The football team from the University of Michigan have already got behind Chad's cause.  They paid him a visit at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor on Thursday night and will be wearing orange wristbands with the words "pray for a miracle" at their game on Saturday.

On Friday, the family gathered around Chad, the youngest of three sons, for a party in the hospital to celebrate his fourth birthday.

"Happy 4th Birthday to our beautiful little boy. Here's to many more. #chadtough," Tammi tweeted.

Tammi told Fox News about her hope for Chad.

"There's got to be a reason that this is happening," she said.

"I know that God listens. I want an army to pray for my little guy. I don't want anyone to stop praying for him.

"We have fantastic doctors, and some kids have survived. It's still not promising but with prayer we can get that miracle."

News
Church leaders condemn antisemitic ambulance attack
Church leaders condemn antisemitic ambulance attack

Christian leaders have been united in their condemnation of a firebomb attack on four ambulances operated by a Jewish charity. 

Pakistan temporarily halts plan to evict Christians from settlement
Pakistan temporarily halts plan to evict Christians from settlement

Faced with poverty and discrimination, many Christians have nowhere to go.

Where to enjoy Christian heritage on the King's new coastal path
Where to enjoy Christian heritage on the King's new coastal path

Here are five remarkable Christian stops worth visiting on the new King Charles III England Coast Path, each one rooted not only in its own history but also in the wider coastal landscape around it.

Rowan Williams ponders Anglican Communion's survival
Rowan Williams ponders Anglican Communion's survival

In two decades, the issues affecting the Anglican Communion have not changed but the divisions have only intensified.