Noah Wilson was a typical 6-year-old. He loved baseball, hanging out with friends and playing with his three siblings.

He was also in that phase of childhood where he wanted to be seen as a “big boy.”

“Six going on 12,” his mom, Deb Wilson said.

So, when Noah was at Children’s Mercy Hospital being treated for Ewing Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and asked the nurses for a colorful Band-Aid, he was disappointed when all they could find was one with Elmo on it.

“He was very gracious, but he kind of looked at me and shrugged,” Wilson said. “Later on, he told me, ‘If I were 3, I’d like ‘Sesame Street’.’”

The Olathe boy liked superheroes, pickles and the Kansas City Royals. He wanted Band-Aids that felt more like him.

“He found a bin. He put a sign on it and then he’s like, ‘Mom, I’d like to put this on our front porch,’” Wilson said. “So he put this bin on the front porch with a sign that said, ‘If you have any fun Band-Aids, please put them in my box. I want to bring them to my friends at the hospital.’”

With that, Noah’s Bandage Project was born.

Noah died on June 30, 2015, at 7 years old. Eleven years later, Noah’s act of kindness is being memorialized through a Parade of Hearts sculpture that will soon find a permanent home at his school, Prairie Center Elementary.

The heart, six feet tall and made of fiberglass, was created by his art teacher at Prairie Center, Lindsay Frack, and her students. It was on display at 135th Street and Black Bob Road as part of this year’s annual Parade of Hearts event around the metro.

The Olathe and Prairie Center community, with help from an anonymous local business, recently raised $10,000 to buy the sculpture, “Noah’s Legacy,” and give it a permanent home at the school Noah once attended.

Noah’s Bandage Project

Noah got his diagnosis when he was a kindergartner at Prairie Center Elementary after complaining about back pain. At first, his family thought it might just be growing pains.

Instead, doctors found a malignant mass on his spine. By that time, the cancer had spread to his lungs.

He was treated at Children’s Mercy and the University of Kansas Medical Center for about 15 months, undergoing frequent blood draws.

“As a cancer patient, you’re constantly getting poked and prodded because they need to check your blood levels,” Wilson said.

Which is why the bandages mattered to Noah.

“He saw Band-Aids as a badge of courage,” Wilson said. “It gave him a sense of identity. As a cancer patient, you lose your hair, you’re in the same hospital gown and you just kind of look like everybody else.”

The project quickly outgrew the family’s front porch. Donations came in from other states and the family eventually got a P.O. box.

Noah’s Bandage Project later became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donating colorful bandages to hospitals, schools and relief organizations.

“It was all his own idea,” Wilson said. “His heart was always to help others, and he always had that attitude of wanting to make a difference, no matter how old you are.”

Prairie Center continued to honor Noah after his death. The school created a trail near the building in his memory, started an annual Noah Wilson award and displayed a large photo of him inside the school.

“Noah absolutely adored that school,” Wilson said. “His friends, his staff, his teachers, everything.”

“Noah’s Legacy”

Parade of Hearts describes itself as a “One-of-a-kind public art experience that celebrates Kansas City’s creativity, culture, and compassion — all through the symbol of the heart.”

Every year, thousands of artists submit ideas for hand-crafted heart sculptures. About 150 are chosen. Once the artist finishes their creations, they’re put on display across the metro area.

Frack, the art teacher, Frack said she had applied to create a Parade of Hearts sculpture for years.

But this year, Frack said, felt different.

She decided to honor Noah with her design. And it seemed like a fitting time: Noah would have graduated from Olathe Public Schools this year.

Frack’s design was chosen and she, with the help of some Prairie Center students, got to work.

Then Wilson had an idea.

“I reached out to her after thinking one night, ‘Oh my goodness,’ I have a small baggie of Noah’s actual Band-Aids that he saved,” she said.

Wilson gave Frack the bandages, which she incorporated into the sculpture.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to actually use those,” Wilson said.

Bringing Noah’s Legacy home

When the “open-air gallery” closes, the hearts are auctioned off.

Frack and the Prairie Center PTA started a GoFundMe to raise the $10,000 needed to buy “Noah’s Legacy.”

The community raised $5,000. Then a local business, who wanted to remain anonymous, donated the difference.

Wilson said she’s grateful to Frack, Prairie Center and the community for continuing Noah’s legacy.

“Noah’s legacy will always continue on,” she said. “This is what’s really beautiful. Now there’s a physical way of seeing that at Prairie Center.”

Frack said she was honored to be a part of Noah’s journey.

“Can’t think of a better place to honor that legacy than to bring it home to Prairie Center,” she said.