Cole P. - Quilt Finished in 2005
Born: September 21, 1993
Illness: ALL (Leukemia) t-cell
This quilt was made using squares that were made for Cole by the cross stitch group CSA. Cole requested a Boy Scout quilt. Thank you to all who stitched for this quilt!
A Thank you from Cole's Family!
Written August 2, 2005
He loved the quilt! I'm attaching a picture of right after he opened it. Hope you and your quilters are many times blessed for your giving! It's clear how much he loves it.
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!
BJ and Cole
Cole P.'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, 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 hematologistt 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 has a 75-80% chance of cure. Now we are relying heavily on the prayers of others.
Thank you for any prayers you can send our way!
Written by Cole's mom Bobbi Jean in July 2004
