Judge Caprio receives Project Purple blanket for support during cancer battle

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A non-profit organization is empowering Judge Frank Caprio during his cancer battle.

Project Purple, which hopes to find a cure for pancreatic cancer and improve the lives of pancreatic cancer patients, is rallying around Caprio, who announced his diagnosis in an emotional video last week.

Project Purple Marketing Manager Sam DaCosta, who grew up in Rhode Island, said the team got started on a care package for him as soon as they saw it.

“Us Rhode Islanders have been extremely proud of Judge Caprio and the work he has done,” DaCosta said.

“There is a reason there are murals and works of art dedicated to him. He is a symbol of honesty, generosity, positivity, and compassion,” DaCosta said. “In a world where people ‘go viral’ on social media for what are often the wrong reasons, Judge Caprio’s presence on social media has been an inspiration to so many, including myself, to treat others with kindness and do the right thing.”

Caprio, who served Providence for nearly 40 years, had recently celebrated turning 87 with his family when he went in for a medical examination.

He shared that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“I would ask each of you, in your own way, to please pray for me,” Caprio said in the video.

DaCosta said he was “heartbroken” when he saw the announcement, but found joy in Caprio wearing the symbolic purple.

The care packages include a purple fleece blanket to keep cancer patients warm through chemotherapy treatments.