Jun 19, 200608:02 AMThe Life

Signs of Life: Cure4Cole.com

A couple of weeks ago, I saw this billboard near the northwest corner of Crossley and Mesquite. My first impression was: "Poor kid. He looks a bit old for diapers. Wonder if his condition requires them?" [Click thumbnail image for larger photo.]

Then I visited Cure4Cole.com: Cole Hein has an undiagnosed illness.

The Videos section was gut-wrenching, but there was very little News, and I couldn't find out if the family had actually taken him to any doctors.

Here's a quote from another part of the site: Please feel free to write Cole some happy mail and let him know you were by his website. Please DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY! We are hoping to break the world's record for cards recieved [...]

Hm. That sounded a little strange. Finally, I found an interview with the mother, in a Manitoba, Canada newspaper, The Brandon Sun: "Everyone wants to use that picture," Mandi said yesterday from her home in Sprucewoods, adding that several other photographs taken for other newspapers were passed over by the ad designers. "Some of them were awesome, and they were of Cole and I and the dog. And nobody wants them. Everybody wants that shot."

Sometime during the last two weeks, the site's Forums were cleaned out, and the Guest Book now contains the following message from Mandi on 06/11/2006 12:40 PM: Cole is currently on a new recond of not having any "blue spells due to retchig" it is the longest period of time since his birth. Cole is has gone now 5 months and 2 1/2 weeks. Cole was ill with both a broncial cough and stomach flu Feb/Mar06 and NOT ONCE turned blue. This is exciting for us and new hope as well perhaps he is out growing his "illness" We can't be more excitied.

June 22 update: the billboard has been taken down.

[more signs]