With the mission God gave him accomplished, little Noah Herring is now in the Father’s care and has gained his “angels wings”.
Farewelled last week by hundreds of family and friends wearing bright coloured clothing to celebrate his life, he was remembered as the little boy who united not only his large family but also the Ryde-Gladesville Catholic Parish community.
With an infectious smile and impossibly long eye lashes, Noah laughed throughout his 20 months of life bringing joy and happiness to everyone he touched.
Parents Dominic and Jessica Herring simply wrote “some people only dream of angels, we were able to hold the most handsome one in our arms”.
“Aimed at providing a place where people can gather, the food van owned by his parents was as much about leaving a legacy for Noah as thanking the community for all of their support.”
Born with a remarkably rare terminal disease and unable to walk, talk or see, he encouraged Catholics and non-Catholics alike to come together in support of his family through prayers, donations and fundraising.
And he will continue to bring people together for many years to come through the Noah’s Ark café, a food truck operating in the parish grounds named in his honour.
Aimed at providing a place where people can gather, the food van owned by his parents was as much about leaving a legacy for Noah as thanking the community for all of their support.
Assistant priest at Ryde-Gladesville parish, Fr Dan Drum, who concelebrated the funeral mass at Our Lady of Lebanon Co Cathedral at Harris Park, said the little boy and his family were an inspiration for everybody in the community.
“So many people have been so inspired by the love shown to little Noah by his family and friends,” he said.
“Even though he couldn’t see, hear or speak, seeing him smile when his mum Jess stroked his face, just showed the incredible love they had for their little boy.
“Noah and his family have created such a beautiful sense of community here in our parish.
“He will always be remembered through the food van named in his honour which has been such a wonderful place for people to meet.”
“Due to his condition there was sadness but also acceptance and their faith has certainly helped them throughout that process.
“He will always be remembered through the food van named in his honour which has been such a wonderful place for people to meet.”
Noah was born with the ultra-rare condition gangliosidosis, or simply GM1 Type 1, which presents in infancy and is characterised by poor muscle tone, an enlarged liver and spleen, seizures, developmental regression and loss of vision and hearing with no available treatment.
The last reported case in Australia occurred more than 10 years ago, so very little is known about the condition apart from its bleak prognosis.