Who is Carol & Why This Coalition?
Here's the story...
Carol Ann Cole was the kind of person who thought of others, even while she was fighting the hardest battle of her life.
On September 1, 2023, Carol was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia — a type of leukemia most commonly found in children. At 57 years old, she was part of the rare 1% of adult cases in the country. Her diagnosis came with extraordinary challenges, but Carol faced each one with unwavering faith, quiet strength, and incredible grace.
Because her condition was so rare and aggressive, and because she was often too sick to travel, Carol received all her care at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The team at UT worked hand-in-hand with some of the best cancer centers in the country to try to save her life. The journey was long and grueling — filled with hospital stays, brief moments at home, constant transfusions, complex treatments, nutritional challenges, loss of work, and 24/7 care provided by both professionals and her devoted family.
Carol endured everything: chemotherapy, CAR-T therapy, immunotherapy, blood product transfusions, infections, setbacks, and hope-filled victories. She was a warrior in every sense. After six relentless months of courage and suffering, Carol received her eternal healing on February 18, 2024, when God called her home to Heaven.
While her passing left a hole in the hearts of her family and friends, it also sparked a mission. Even during her treatment, Carol constantly worried about others—checking in on patients down the hall, asking if they had family nearby, wondering how they were feeling, or if they could afford their care. She never stopped caring, even while she herself was in pain.
Out of that same compassion, Carol’s Coalition was born.
Her family and friends created Carol’s Coalition to honor her legacy of faith and selflessness by supporting local cancer patients and their families in East Tennessee. This organization was built from real experiences, fueled by the raw realities of what cancer patients and caregivers face — physically, emotionally, and financially.
Carol may no longer be with us physically, but she leads us in spirit every single day. This is what she would have wanted: a way to make sure no one has to fight cancer alone.
Through Carol’s Coalition, we walk beside patients and families — with love, with faith, and with hope — so that no one suffers in silence and no need goes unmet.
Because Carol cared. And now, so do we.
