Meet Cole – Indiana

Meet Cole – Brownsburg, IN  – Age 13

During birth, Cole suffered a brain bleed. Born prematurely with his twin, Gavin, both of the boys struggled with various health issues growing up. While Gavin grew out of many of these issues, Cole’s development was slowed and he did not meet the traditional growth milestones, which led to his diagnosis of Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. Early on, Cole was working with occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech pathologists to encourage movement and language, but the efforts resulted in little success.

Today, Cole is not able to use his arms or legs effectively and relies on his wheelchair to get around. Although he cannot move very well, his mind is active and he attends school like any other kid. He loves Disney and enjoys spending time with Gavin when he gets home from school!

Cole’s mom, Julie, learned about A Kid Again through a Cerebral Palsy Mom’s Group and got involved! So far, Cole, Gavin and their parents have been able to attend the Read with the Pacers/Disney on Ice Adventure where they enjoyed meeting the players and going behind-the-scenes in Bankers Life Fieldhouse while also getting to experience some Disney magic!

Being part of the A Kid Again Family

“It’s wonderful to be able to create the time to do something as a family especially when life gets busy and it’s hard to carve out those special moments”, says Julie. “What I love about A Kid Again is that our whole family can participate.  Probably the neatest part for us is to share memories together and feel like a VIP at events outside of what we might typically do as a family.”

Cole’s mom wants others to know that these kiddos, who may be sick or have a disability, are just kids and they want the same thing as every other kid – play, be pain free, or simply have access to something they might be blocked from doing.  “Our kids are just kids, and as parents we want for them the same as everyone else – to have a happy childhood that they’ll remember.”

August 2020