OLATHE, Kan. — A seven-year-old Kansas boy whose fight against cancer and love of the Kansas City Royals drew national attention died Tuesday night.
Noah Wilson of Olathe suffered from Ewing’s sarcoma, a bone cancer. Noah had recently learned that he had leukemia, and he began more chemotherapy Monday.
“We are holding on tight to the memories of our precious boy. We miss him so much, but we are thankful that he is in no more pain and never had to endure another treatment again. He’s resting forever in paradise, and that brings us peace,” said Noah’s father, Scott Wilson, on Wednesday.
The Wilson family is welcoming anyone who wishes to celebrate Noah’s life, to attend the services being held for him, and are encouraging everyone to wear something blue since that was Noah’s favorite color. A visitation will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, located at 5501 Monticello Road in Shawnee, on Sunday, July 5th, from 5 to 8 p.m. with a Rosary beginning at 8 p.m. And a funeral Mass will be held Monday, July 6th, beginning at 10:30 a.m., followed by a burial service at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, located at 13615 W. 92nd Street in Lenexa.
Noah is know for his lasting impact on The Bandage Project which is a movement to help provide fun bandages to children in hospitals. Noah was inspired to start the foundation during his time at Children’s Mercy Hospital after he noticed there were no colorful Band-Aids available for patients. The project’s website says Noah thought the colorful bandages were a fun way for cancer patients to stand out.
“When he was here, like a lot of children, getting pokes is hard. When you have a plain old brown band-aid on top of it, it’s not nearly as much fun. This was all Noah’s idea,” said Kelly Komers, the Child Life Program Coordinator for Children’s Mercy Hospital.
“Noah had a light all on his own. He was one of the happiest kids I’ve met. Always wanting to brighten other kids days. Always wanting to talk. Always wanting to make new friends. He definitely was one of those children who, even though what he was going through was so terrible, he really brought joy to others around him,” she said.
During the Royals’ run to the World Series last year, a family friend started an online movement to help Noah’s dream of going to a World Series game come true.
Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre offered the family tickets and prime seats to a game. They were treated to a special day, meeting several players and walking on the field.
During his battle with cancer, Noah inspired many including Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer who tweeted about the young boy Tuesday night. Others also posted their condolences for the family on social media shortly after the announcement.
On Wednesday, the Royals tweeted about how they plan to honor Noah by collecting donated fun and colorful Band-Aids at Kauffman Stadium. (Click here to find out how you can get involved with The Bandage Project.)