Someone you should know: Willie Cole

As a child in Brooklyn, 41-year-old Willie Cole saw his mom ride the subway six times each day, back and forth to her two jobs and then ducking back home at intervals to be there for her kids. He grew up without a father and it was a hard life trying to make ends meet. When he became a dad, he thought that meant backbreaking work so that his kids would never go without.

That was before he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2000 and before he received a transplant in 2002. When he was well again, Willie understood that being a family man meant more than being a provider. He lost no time in getting closer to his wife and children, his mother, and his sisters and brothers. His greatest joy is both simple and profound: his family. “They’re my strength,” he says.

“As I was getting better I realized that if I don’t take care of me then I can’t really take care of others. I take time for myself now and for me that’s mostly about people: my family, my friends and cancer patients at my hospital – the University of Alabama at Birmingham Bone Marrow Transplant Program – who need to hear from someone who’s been there.”

Willie remembers moving to his current home of Birmingham, Alabama, when he was 15 years old – the same age as his youngest son Kerry. He feels blessed to be there for his children. Kerry, like Willie, is a fine athlete. Willie cannot think of anything he would rather do than be there for his son, whether on the field, the court, the bowling alley or just hanging out.

“I thank God everyday for being able to watch my son play football and basketball. There is no thrill like it in the whole world. I’m his dad and I’m there.”        

Surviving Well After a Pediatric Bone Marrow, Stem Cell or Cord Blood Transplant