Dying 4-Year-Old Tells Mom He Will Wait In Heaven & Then Passes Away
April 06, 2017
"Mommy I love you." Those were the last words of one of God's bravest warriors, Nolan Scully. As his battle neared its end, the 4-year-old discussed his impending death with unshakable faith, telling his mom he'd just wait in Heaven for her. And though his time life was short, it had a huge impact on the hundreds of thousands who followed his story!
Only God could fit so much love into such a tiny body. Little Nolan was bursting at the seams with it. Love beamed from this little boy's smile, drawing hundreds of thousands of followers to his NolanStrong Facebook page.
Nolan's family started the page when he was handed his diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma -- a rare soft-tissue cancer -- at just 3 years old. The Facebook page followed the ups and downs of his journey over the next year.
Credit: Facebook / NolanStrongThe little warrior's bright spirit stole the hearts of his local community, along with thousands upon thousands of strangers online.
“Every battle he’s had, he just bounced back, unbelievably,” said Mark Bell, a family friend and Chief of the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department. “You knocked him down, he just came back and ran.”
A Servant's Heart
Little Nolan wanted to serve the community, just like his firefighter dad, Jonathan. Jonathan served as the Chief of the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department. He stepped down once his son received his cancer diagnosis.
The little boy longed to become a police officer. While in the hospital, the city’s Police Commissioner made Nolan's dreams come true, swearing him in as an honorary police officer. From that day on he became “Sgt. Rollin’ Nolan.” Several local fire departments followed suit.
Everyone was rooting for Nolan. From strangers across the internet, to the doctors trying desperately to make him well. Nolan's mom, Ruth, recalls the heartbreaking day they realized the end was near.
"We were sat down with his ENTIRE team. When his Oncologist spoke, I saw the pure pain in her eyes. She had always been honest with us and fought along side of us the whole time. But his updated CT scan showed large tumors that grew compressing his bronchial tubes and heart within four weeks of his open chest surgery. The Mestatic Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma was spreading like wild fire. She explained at this time she didn't feel his Cancer was treatable as it had become resistant to all treatment options we had tried and the plan would be to keep him comfortable as he was deteriorating rapidly."
RELATED: Dad shares a heartbreaking photo of his dying 4-year-old to raise awareness
Nolan's family had been dreading this kind of news all along. Ruth gathered the strength to go tell Nolan. But his reaction showed the powerful faith this little angel had. Not only did Nolan have absolutely no fear of death, he told his mom he'd wait in Heaven for her!
The Special Conversation
Ruth shared their incredible discussion on Facebook:
"I sat down with him and put my head up against his and had the following conversation:
Me: Poot, it hurts to breathe doesn't it?
Nolan: Weeeelll.... yeah.
Me: You're in a lot of pain aren't you baby?
Nolan: (looking down) Yeah.
Me: Poot, this Cancer stuff sucks. You don't have to fight anymore.
Nolan: (Pure Happiness) I DONT??!! But I will for you Mommy!!
Me: No Poot!! Is that what you have been doing?? Fighting for Mommy??
Nolan: Well DUH!!
Me: Nolan Ray, what is Mommy's job?
Nolan: To keep me SAFE! (With a big grin)
Me: Honey ... I can't do that anymore here. The only way I can keep you safe is in Heaven. (My heart shattering)
Nolan: Sooooo I'll just go to Heaven and play until you get there! You'll come right?
Me: Absolutely!! You can't get rid of Mommy that easy!!
Nolan: Thank you Mommy!!! I'll go play with Hunter and Brylee and Henry!!"
Nolan and his family spent the next few days -- which would be Nolan's last -- enjoying the time they had left.
"We laid in bed together and he sketched out how he wanted his funeral, picked his pall bearers, what he wanted people to wear, wrote down what he was leaving each of us, and even wrote down what he wanted to be remembered as... which of course was a Policeman."
Saying Goodbye
Nolan loved having his mom by his side. He always wanted to be able to see and touch her. On his last day of life, she got his permission to slip away for a quick shower. No sooner than the bathroom door clicked, "he shut his eyes and went into a deep sleep, beginning the end of life passing."
When Ruth came out of the bathroom, Nolan's entire medical team was around him with tears in their eyes. He'd slipped into a coma -- his lung had collapsed and his oxygen dropped.
RELATED: Dad's heartbreaking goodbye to his sick 10-year-old son
Ruth wrote about those heartbreaking, yet miraculous final moments with her son:
"I ran and jumped into bed with him and put my hand on the right side of his face. Then a miracle that I will never forget happened....
My angel took a breath, opened his eyes, smiled at me and said 'I Love You Mommy', turned his head towards me and at 11:54 pm Sgt. Rollin Nolan Scully passed away as I was singing 'You are My Sunshine' in his ear."
When Ruth shared this gut-wrenching memory online, she included a side by side photo of the bathroom floor. Nolan loved his mom tremendously and used to lay on the bathmat outside the shower. His grieving mom writes:
"Now I'm the one terrified to shower. With nothing but an empty shower rug now where once a beautiful perfect little boy laid waiting for his Mommy."
If it weren't for Nolan's and his family's faith, the goodbye would have felt final. But Nolan knew without a shadow of a doubt that, because of the price Jesus paid for us all, the goodbye is just temporary. Because of our Lord and Savior, Nolan will keep his promise to wait in Heaven for the rest of his loved ones.
Honoring Nolan
Now that Nolan's beautiful spirit had left earth to wait in Heaven, it was time to lay his body to rest. And the whole community rallied together to give him the best possible send off!
Thousands came out to offer condolences. Happy songs that Nolan picked out himself played -- like "This Little Light Of Mine." Per Nolan's wishes, many of the attendees wore either his favorite color (red) or a NolanStrong T-shirt.
“He wanted everyone to smile and be happy,” Diana Rogers, Nolan's grandmother said. “So even in the end, he was not thinking of himself.”
A Hero's Send-Off
The funeral was shared with Nolan's many Facebook followers via a live stream. And in a touching display from local first responders and law enforcement agencies, “Sgt. Rollin’ Nolan” was honored with a hero's send-off.
Firefighters and police officers took turns standing watch over Nolan's red casket at the service —a privilege usually reserved for officers who died in the line of duty. The funeral procession began at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department. The casket was carried outside, where roughly 100 first responders stood saluting the tiny officer. Nolan's casket was transported atop the fire truck, and he was honored with his very own End Of Watch "last call."
RELATED: Fire truck honors a very special firefighter by carrying casket to the funeral
Nolan's Last Call can be heard in the video below:
As heartbreaking as losing Nolan is, seeing the impact he made in just four short years just goes to show it's not how much time you have, but what you do with it. This sweet angel inspired so many with his incredible faith.
"He made unbelievers believe. He brought the community together in such positive way,” his grandmother said.
To have touched so many shows that God had a special purpose for Nolan. And we pray God's grace will bring peace to his grieving family. May they take comfort in knowing this sweet boy is now perfectly healed and waiting for them in Heaven.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: A grieving aunt's tribute to the 7-year-old niece she lost too soon.
"The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.'" Isaiah 25:8-9
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Deepen Your Faith This Christmas Season - Your Daily Prayer - December 7
God's Word doesn't say, "You will not face trials of any kind so long as your life is filled with joy." What it tells us is that we will face trials throughout all of life, and to count it as joy, which will lead to steadfastness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Deepen Your Faith This Christmas Season - Your Daily Prayer - December 7
God's Word doesn't say, "You will not face trials of any kind so long as your life is filled with joy." What it tells us is that we will face trials throughout all of life, and to count it as joy, which will lead to steadfastness.
Past Stories
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
- 79-Year-Old Broke Her Ankle After Scattering Her Mom's Ashes, Then Strangers Save the Day
- Dad Travels Through Mud and Debris to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
Top Artists
Top Music Videos
Gaither Vocal Band Gaither Vocal Band - Mary, Did You Know? [Live]
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Kari Jobe Kari Jobe - Firm Foundation (He Won't) / Great Are You Lord
toby mac TobyMac - Nothin' Sweeter
Housefires 🔥 Housefires - Rest On Us
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.