Cole's Dream

A quiet, soon-to-be 16-year-old from Mt. Pleasant, NC, Cole is the oldest of four children in the Lumley house. He has two sisters, Taylor and Hannah, and one brother, Bryce, and after just a few minutes with them their sibling bond is unmistakable! Cole was born with a genetic form of kidney disease which has progressed to Stage 4, and he also lives with MODY 5 diabetes. Despite these challenges, Cole is a role model both on and off the field, often helping the younger kids with kidney disease get through their labs. Cole’s youngest sister, Hannah, also has the same genetic kidney disease so Cole is very protective when it comes to helping her manage the ins and outs of living with the disease. Jennifer, Cole’s mom, found out while she was pregnant with him that he would need ongoing care for his disease. Jeff Gordon’s Children’s Hospital placed them with a physician that is still, to this day, providing care for Cole. This relationship has grown very strong over the years and they feel fortunate that she has become like part of their family.

Cole’s helpful nature extends past being there for his family and friends. In fact, he would like to continue caring for others and has a dream of becoming a fireman when he grows up. He will begin taking some of his first classes in fire safety training this fall! Like many other teenagers, Cole loves hanging out with his buddies. When we asked him how he wanted to spend his 16th birthday he replied simply, with friends. Cole also mentioned his love of Japanese food several times when we met him so we are pretty sure we know what will be on the party menu later this month!

Baseball is in Cole’s blood, ever since he was 2 he has been swinging a bat and hitting a ball. The love of baseball runs in the family, and any time a baseball or softball game is on tv, the Lumleys are watching it together. The highlights of this summer? The college softball and baseball World Series! For a while, Cole’s kidney disease prevented him from playing baseball but he has recently been cleared and can’t wait to get back on the field again with his teammates!

Cole has always loved the Boston Red Sox, and his dream is to go to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox in action! When Cole learned that he had been selected for a Dream Experience he and the rest of the kids realized that they would be traveling by plane for the very first time. So their next question was no surprise, “when do we leave?!”