4-Year-Old Boy Tells Mom Before He Dies: ‘I’ll Just Go to Heaven and Play Until You Get There’

I think most people believe that their deaths will be sudden, such as going to sleep and dying in our sleep or dying of a heart attack, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. It’s hard to imagine dying a long and painful death, so most of us don’t even allow our thoughts to go there. Unfortunately, there are people who can see their imminent deaths more clearly than most of us will ever do. These individuals usually have a clear perspective of how to react to their new reality, whether it’s with fear or a kind of peace and acceptance of what they know is their fate. People who have been diagnosed with cancer have to sit and watch and wait for their death to come.

Can you imagine if it’s your child who is facing down death in this way? How would you respond? Who would be stronger, you or your child? Little children don’t really have a concept of what death means, most of them. It’s a concept that they can’t even visualize. However, time and again, we see stories about brave little girls and boys who face death in a way that is chillingly calm and courageous. Invariably, it’s the parent who draws comfort from the child in these situations. A little boy named Nolan Scully understood that he was losing his battle with death and he made a special promise to his mother as he was slipping away.

Nolan suffered from a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, which affects soft tissue. When Nolan was only three years old, he received the tragic diagnosis and his journey through the merciless illness was chronicled on a Facebook page set up by his family. Nolan promised his mother that he would see her again in heaven, and we have no doubt that Nolan’s mom clings to that hope. For his part, Nolan remained steadfast in the face of death and he wasn’t without hope. Even near death, he had big dreams. He wanted to become a police officer. His dad, Jonathan, is a firefighter, and Nolan wanted to save lives, too.

Before Nolan died, his city’s police commissioner paid him a visit in the hospital and swore him in as an honorary police officer, giving him the nickname Sergeant Rollin’ Nolan. Even with positive things like this going on, the medical situation was a nightmare for Nolan’s family to deal with, and his mother, Ruth, needed every ounce of strength for Nolan. But throughout the entire ordeal, Nolan kept his faith and courage going strong and it served as a beacon of light for his family.

In a Facebook post, Ruth shared a conversation she had with Nolan.

Mom: You’re in a lot of pain, aren’t you baby?

Nolan: Yeah.

Mom: Poot, this Cancer stuff sucks. You don’t have to fight anymore.

Nolan: (Happily) I DON’T?!! But I will for you mommy.

Mom: No Poot!! Is that what you have been doing? Fighting for mommy?

Nolan: Well DUH!!

Mom: Nolan Ray, what is mommy’s job?

Nolan: To keep me SAFE! (Big grin)

Mom: Honey… I can’t do that anymore here. The only way I can keep you safe is in heaven.

Nolan: Sooooo I’ll just go to Heaven and play until you get there! You’ll come, right?

Mom: 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 loved having his mother near him so that he could see her and hold her. She took her showers at the hospital and when she was showering, Nolan closed his eyes and started to slip away. When Ruth returned, Nolan was surrounded by his medical team and in a coma with collapsed lungs. Ruth was overcome with emotion and jumped on his bed, putting her hands on the side of her little boy’s face. Miraculously, Nolan took a breath, opened his eyes, and said, “I love you, mommy.”

As Ruth sang “You Are My Sunshine” to her baby, he slipped away. Ruth later shared Nolan’s final moments and included a photo of him lying on the bathroom mat outside the shower, something in which he found great comfort. Watch the moving video below.

Featured images: Facebook