A four-year-old boy who was tragically killed by cancer had the most heartbreaking final conversation with his mother.
Nolan ‘Strong’ Scully, described by his mum Ruth as ‘made of nothing but pure love’, passed away two months ago from his rare soft tissue cancer.
Ruth Scully has only just built up the strength to express what the last ‘two months of hell’ have been like, and open up about Nolan’s last days.
Two months. Two months since I’ve held you in my arms, heard how much you loved me, kissed those sweetie “pie” lips. Two…
Posted by NolanStrong on Tuesday, April 4, 2017
The story of Nolan’s journey is so difficult to read at times that you will be left in awe at how his positivity, maturity, and empathy show a young man far beyond his years.
Ruth wrote on the Nolan Strong Facebook page:
When I brought Nolan to the hospital for the last time, I knew there was something else wrong other than just a lingering case of C. Diff (a bacterium that can infect the bowel and cause diarrhoea).
I just knew, and strange enough, I think he did too. He hadn’t eaten or drank anything in days and was continually vomiting.
Ruth explained that the cancer was ‘spreading like wild fire’ and had become ‘resistant to all treatment options we had tried’ with the only plan of action to ‘keep him comfortable’ as he was deteriorating rapidly.
Ruth gave an account of one of their difficult conversations:
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!!
The next day, Ruth had to take the incredibly difficult step of signing his ‘do not resuscitate’ forms saying she ‘cannot explain to you what signing an Emergency Responder ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ order for your angelic son feels like’.
Ruth explained:
When he woke up we had the van packed and I had his shoes in my hand to take him home for the evening. We just wanted ONE more night together.
But as he woke, he gently put his hand on mine and said “Mommy, it’s ok. Let’s just stay here ok?” My four-year-old hero was trying to make sure things were easy for me….
So in between sleeping for the next 36 hours, we played, watched YouTube, shot Nerf Gun after Nerf Gun and smiled as many times as we could. An hour or so before he passed he even filled out a ‘Will’!
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.
She continued:
About 9:00pm we were watching YouTube in bed (Peppa Pig actually) and I asked Nolan if I could get in the shower, as I was not allowed to leave him and Mommy had to be touching him at all times.
He said: “Ummmm okay Mommy. Have Uncle Chris come sit with me and I’ll turn this way so I can see you.” I stood at the bathroom door, turned to him and said: “Keep looking right here Poot, I’ll be out in two seconds.”
He smiled at me. I shut the bathroom door. They said the moment the bathroom door clicked he shut his eyes and went into a deep sleep, beginning the end of life passing.
When I opened the bathroom door, his team was surrounding his bed and every head turned and looked at me with tears in their eyes. They said: “Ruth, he’s in a deep sleep. He can’t feel anything.”
His respirations were extremely laboured, his right lung had collapsed and his oxygen dropped.
This was the final moment Ruth had with her beloved son and she will never forget it:
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.
He woke up out of a coma to say he loved me with a smile on his face! My son died a hero. He brought Communities together, different occupations, made a difference in people’s lives all around the world. He was a warrior who died with dignity and love to the last second.
All Nolan ever wanted to do was to serve and protect others, he did just that all the way up to his last breath and continues to do so every day. He loved his family fiercely and everyone of his friends!
I look at everything he accomplished in four short years and can only think of what he could’ve accomplished with a longer life.
Nolan’s story brought tears to many people, as is obvious in the comments on his commemorative page.
At the end of her touching tribute, Ruth called for more funding and for better research and treatment options for cancer.
Our thoughts are with Sgt. Rollin Nolan Scully and his family.
