After Cancer, Cole Is Back to California Dreaming
On August 17, 2024, Cole got into the Pacific Ocean for the first time in five months for the Keiki Paddle, an annual Santa Barbara community event that provides support for a child or teen facing a life-threatening illness. At the event, 250 friends, family members and supporters from the surfing community—including one of his idols, professional surfer Kai Lenny—gathered to fundraise for and honor Cole and paddleboard an 8-mile route along the California coast. Less than a year earlier Cole, 15, was diagnosed with cancer and underwent intensive treatment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“I definitely felt a lot of love that day on the water,” Cole says, still overcome with emotion as he reflects on the year-long journey to get back to what he calls “my happy place. It was one of the most meaningful days of my life.”
From the time he was a toddler, Cole has always been connected to the outdoors—especially the ocean. Tall, lean and tan with a playful mop of wavy blond hair, Cole is a quintessential California beach boy. In fact, the ocean is like a second home for Cole and his four older siblings, who all participate in water sports like surfing, paddle boarding and water polo.
A year ago, when Cole started to experience pain behind his left ear, he pushed through and kept playing on his high school water polo team. The thought of taking a break didn’t even enter his mind. A trip to the doctor initially revealed an inner ear infection, something that Cole had experienced in the past that was easily treated and resolved.
“Every water polo kid gets ear infections every now and again,” says Cole. But after six months of continued discomfort and diminished hearing, followed by dizziness and nausea, Cole had to excuse himself from one of his team’s biggest games of the season. He went back to the doctor, who directed him to go to the local emergency room.
“I was dehydrated, but the doctor felt something bigger might be going on—possibly spinal meningitis,” Cole explains. “At the ER, they did a CT scan and saw that there was a tumor in my head, behind my left ear. It was 3 o’clock in the morning, and the next thing they said to us was, ‘There is a team headed here from CHLA and they are going to take you there by helicopter.’”
Shocked, bewildered and scared, Cole and his mother, Linda, met the Emergency Transport team, which brought them to CHLA, where he was immediately admitted.
A wave of uncertainty
“Cole was so ill and so weak,” Linda says. “He’s an elite athlete and they asked him to do some basic things like ‘touch my hand with your hand’ and he couldn’t do it.’”
“The tumor in his left temporal bone wasn’t a brain tumor—it was on the outside, pushing on his brain and causing his symptoms,” explains Paul Gaynon, MD, of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at CHLA’s Cancer and Blood Disease Institute.
A biopsy performed by Mark Krieger, MD, CHLA Senior Vice President and Surgeon-in-Chief, and the Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Chair in Neurosurgery, revealed that the tumor was made up of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Generally, AML is found in a person’s bone marrow. But in Cole’s case, the AML formed a rare tumor called a myeloid sarcoma, which is outside the bone marrow. Pathology revealed that the tumor’s chromosomal pattern was one that traditionally responds well to therapy. After targeted radiation reduced the size of the tumor, Cole began the first of four rounds of chemotherapy.
“That first round of chemo, I was losing weight pretty fast because it makes you tired and you don’t feel like eating,” says Cole, who worked with his high school teachers and a tutor to keep on top of his classes.
With Cole immunocompromised and hospitalized during flu season, his visitors were kept to a minimum. Not only did he miss seeing his friends and extended family, but he also missed being in the water. The surfing community is small and shares a strong bond. When word spread about his hospitalization, the outpouring of support warmed Cole’s heart. Via mutual surfing friends of the family, world champion surfer Kelly Slater learned of Cole’s health challenge and sent a personal get-well card and a new surfboard.
The power of positive thinking
“Every day I would watch a YouTube live cam of my favorite surfing spot,” Cole says. “I could see my friends surfing and I just kept thinking, ‘I’m going to get back there.’”
Linda was astounded by Cole’s positivity and strength.
“Cole’s mindset is amazing,” Linda says. “He never complained one time and was positive throughout the entire journey.”
Cole, meanwhile, was in awe of his mother’s love.
“She was by my side every step of the way, all 123 days,” he says. “She slept in my hospital room, and we kept each other’s spirits up as best we could.”
They also had a little help from their friends at CHLA.
“When we needed it most—our world turned upside down and we were within those four walls—the most beautiful moments happened,” Linda says. “Of course we were nervous. With every day, we settled in and had faith because we knew we were at the best hospital for Cole. The doctors, the nurses, the physician’s assistants, the nurse practitioners, Child Life, the security guards, the HBO cafeteria workers—we felt so supported every step of the way.”
One day during his second round of chemotherapy, a volunteer from Literally Healing, CHLA’s reading program, visited Cole’s room and talked to him about a book he was reading for school.
“The next week she came back and told me she read the book and wrote a poem about what she learned from it,” Cole says, still in disbelief. “I was blown away by that.”
What Cole didn’t realize was how much his positivity influenced others at the hospital.
“Every day I would go for a walk,” Cole explains. “On my birthday while I was out of the room, my mom and the nurses blew up balloons and decorated. When I came back, I got very emotional. They sang and played music. It was so special.”
Best. Day. Ever.
Another memorable day for Cole was the day he was discharged after his fourth and final round of chemotherapy. Even though his 5’11” frame was down to a frail 99 pounds, Cole woke up the morning of March 4, 2024, and felt invigorated by the energy in the air.
“It was early, and the nurses were going from night shift to day shift. I could hear giggling outside my room,” Cole says, smiling. “I could feel something was happening and then one of the nurses said I was going to be discharged. I started crying because I was so happy and relieved to finish all the chemo!”
It just so happened that on Cole’s last day at the hospital, the L.A. Kings hockey team was at CHLA visiting with patients and families. When team captain Anze Kopitar heard that Cole was going to ring the bell to commemorate his final chemotherapy treatment, he and several other players asked if they could stay to celebrate with him and his family.
“The players had been there since the morning and they could have gone home to be with their families, but they stayed,” Linda says. “There were so many beautiful people surrounding Cole for that moment. Everyone at CHLA worked together and turned my son around. He is having the best life.”
And Dr. Gaynon is happy to report that Cole is progressing well since completing treatment.
“It’s been almost a year since his diagnosis and Cole is doing great,” Dr. Gaynon says, giving praise to the many team members who cared for Cole. “It really took the combined efforts of multiple disciplines working together—the neuroradiologists, the neurosurgeons, the radiation oncologists, the pathologists, the hematology oncology team, our nurses, the pharmacists—to give us a good result for Cole.”
Now in 10th grade, Cole feels like everything is slowly getting back to normal. He has worked steadily to regain the weight he lost and build up his strength through swimming, beach volleyball and pickleball. Currently at 130 pounds, Cole hopes to add another 30 pounds to return to competitive form.
“Life is good!” Cole proclaims, emphasizing he will never forget the incredible people at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who helped him along the way.
“Being in the hospital was an unimaginable challenge,” Cole says. “One day you think you’re trying to push through what you think is a cold, and then life takes you on a path you never wanted to be on, and yet you come out of it feeling grateful and richer for it. I’m so thankful.”
