Catching Up With Noly Poly

Nolan—Noly Poly, as his family calls him—was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a form of kidney cancer, in February 2022, less than a week after his first birthday. The diagnosis was the beginning of an unimaginable ordeal for him and his family. After surgery to remove the tumor, Nolan spent more than six months in and out of the hospital as he experienced life-threatening complication after complication.

“I remember a doctor saying, ‘He is the sickest kid in the PICU right now,’” says his mom, Brie.

Throughout it all, Nolan's family leaned on the Spiritual Care program—one of 170+ donation-funded programs at Phoenix Children's—for support. Chaplain Javi Casas walked the hallways with Brie as she prayed for Nolan and the other patients. When the two noticed families were feeling isolated, they started a support group held in the interfaith chapel on campus. This group became a space for families to share their stories and receive prayer for their child. 

After two extended stays in the PICU, Nolan was able to return home and resume outpatient chemo. And in October 2022, he rang the bell to symbolize the completion of his treatment. “The miracle came for Noly, but it wasn't miraculous; it was a slow process of healing,” says Brie. “There were a thousand little miracles that eventually brought him home.”

Now 3, Nolan attends preschool twice a week. His current obsession is dinosaurs, and he also loves music, swimming and playing with his friends. He's a big fan of puzzles, too. “This kid can do 100-piece puzzles at 3 years old,” Brie says.

Nolan still visits Phoenix Children's regularly for follow-up care, but he spends much less time at the hospital than he used to—and he's even happy to be there.

“He gets excited when I say we’re going to Phoenix Children’s,” says Brie. “He says, ‘I want to go see my friends’ because he has a lot of friends here.” The family support group that Brie helped form is still going strong, too.

Brie says the word that best sums up Nolan's personality is joy. “He’s just got this beaming smile, and he’s full of life,” she says. “He’s really happy and very excited about sometimes even really basic things. Everybody says, ‘He’s so good-natured. He’s always smiling.’”

A look back at Nolan's journey

Watch Nolan's video to see how his journey to Phoenix Children's began.

Nolan was diagnosed with kidney cancer just after his first birthday. Within a week, surgeons at Phoenix Children’s removed the tumor. It was a mass that engulfed his entire abdomen—a weight of 2.5 pounds in his 19-pound body. 

“When we got the text that said the tumor was gone, my husband held me. There were tears of joy that kept coming,” says Brie, Nolan’s mom. Even though Nolan’s tumor removal was a lifesaving success, he would go on to face many more challenges. In the midst of it all, his family turned to the donation-funded Spiritual Care program for support.