Cole's Story
written by mom Bobbi Jean
Cole was born on
September 21st, 1993 and is the oldest of our 2 boys. Our youngest son,
Austin (previously featured here
on MACS), developed a rare blood disorder in 1999 and we went to Duke for a
bone marrow transplant in 2000. We were there for 10 months and it was a
grueling experience. But, we were blessed with the life of our son! Out of
the 16 children on the bone marrow unit while we were there, Austin is one
of 4 who survived.
In February 2004, Cole's tonsils began to swell. We took him to pediatrics
and they wrote it off as a virus and sent us home. When the tonsils only
continued to increase in size, we returned to pediatrics and they gave us an
antibiotic to try to combat a hidden infection. On March 5th, Cole's tonsils
began to bleed and we took him to the emergency room. After administering
Neosynephrine and a cocaine solution to his tonsils, they were able to stop
the bleeding. We stayed in the hospital for that weekend.
The following week his tonsils continued to swell until they met in the
center of his throat. His head was already closed off and he couldn't
breathe through his nose. Concerned about his airway closing off, we
contacted an ENT. The ENT said 'Mono' as soon as Cole opened his mouth and
we had blood work done. The next day, Mono and the Epstein-Barr Virus were
eliminated as possibilities. We contacted his brother Austin's doctor at
Duke and she suggested we take Cole to see the hematologist at Asheville.
We got there on Tuesday and they threaded an IV (four people to hold him
down and a few minutes later). Cole had a CT and a chest x-ray and then we
waited for the results of the blood. The doctor called us in and we left
Cole with the art lady in the waiting room. The doctor said, "I have news...
and it's bad. It's Leukemia." We were admitted and spent 2 weeks in the
hospital from that moment. (I think it will be frozen in my mind for
eternity.)
They placed his port 2 days later. We were concerned about his airway
because of the swollen tonsils (which turned out to be clusters of leukemia
cells) but everything went fine. We were fortunate that his spinal tap
revealed no cancer cells in his spinal fluid, but his final diagnosis from
his bone marrow revealed that he has T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
The T-cell requires a harsher treatment regimen. We began his 30 month
treatment regimen on April 3rd with Cole's first dose of chemo.
Cole completed his treatment on May 18th, 2006. So far, he has no cancer
cells in his blood and we are extremely grateful. He has attempted to renew
a ‘normal’ life as an 8th grade student, but still has challenges to face.
He tires easily and still carries a great deal of steroid weight on his
frame. He has unexplained body pain and catches every cough and cold that
comes his way. We are watching him closely, praying that this horrible
disease has been beaten back forever. We continue to be grateful for every
day.
Thank you for your many prayers.
Abilities:
See: Yes.
Hear: Yes.
Talk: Yes.
Walk: Yes.
Read: Yes.
Use hands: Yes.
Siblings:
brother
Austin, age 10
Child's Interests:
Cole likes guitars, hacky sack, riding bikes, Yu-Gi-Oh, GameBoy Advanced,
PlayStation 2, Legos, reading Harry Potter and books similar (adventure),
Boy Scouts, pottery, Christian and old rock music and playing on the
computer. His favorite color is red.
Sibling's Interests:
Austin likes karate, Yu-Gi-Oh, riding his skateboard and scooter, hacky
sack, arts & crafts, GameBoy Advanced, GameCube, music of any kind, cooking,
drawing, books (especially mysteries and adventure) and playing on the
computer. His favorite color is purple.
Click
HERE
for recent updates on Cole
(use the "Search" box on the sidebar of that page
to find updates on this particular child)
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