"The hardest battle I ever fought was the day I was born. And if I can beat that, I can beat anything I try." -  Cole Hardman, Children's Hospital patient

When Cole was born with a severe diaphragmatic hernia, he wasn't expected to live more than a day. Among the many issues he faced at birth was a condition in which his intestines were where his left lung should have been. Other issues discovered later were impaired hearing that left him deaf without exceptionally powerful hearing aids; impaired sight that left him legally blind; severe scoliosis that impacted his only lung and reduced his lung capacity to less than 40 percent of normal; asthma; and intestinal issues that continually challenged his growth and weight.

Though classified as medically fragile since birth, Cole leads an active life and is an honor student who is currently attending the University of Puget Sound. Charismatic and outgoing, Cole served as the child spokesperson for both Children's Hospital and United Way of King County for several years. He was the first patient to co-host the Children's Hospital Telethon Doug produced for many years.

"Cole's New Leash on Life," produced originally for the Children's Hospital Telethon in 2002, focuses on Cole's acquisition of a service dog named Napoleon who was trained by Summit Assistance Dogs (www.summitdogs.org) to provide support to Cole in several different ways.