THE BATCOLE FOUNDATION Logo
When Cole was initially diagnosed, and throughout his treatment, he always loved all things superhero, especially Batman. The Batcole symbol was drawn on a napkin by a family friend and quickly became Cole’s identity. A little boy’s smirk and childhood innocence, behind the mask of a superhero as he defied the odds with his cancer, is the cornerstone of our foundation’s logo.
OUR MISSION
The Batcole Foundation is a public 501(c)3 non-profit, that is committed to raising funds for research to develop novel, superior therapies for neuroblastoma and other pediatric cancers. Together with our foundation board, specialized pediatric cancer treatment centers and physicians, our goal is to identify clinical therapies which have the most promising clinical blueprints for success.
Our hope is to bring awareness, of how underfunded pediatric cancer research is, to individuals, families, schools and communities. We want these groups to partner with the Batcole Foundation to raise funding and awareness to fill this gap.
We also want to support families and centers where Cole was treated by decorating hospital and treatment rooms for kids to brighten the lives of these kids and families who have to go to the hospital for treatment.
The Batcole Foundation also provides fun, decorated Band-Aids through its Band-Aid program, and toys to hospitals and treatment centers throughout the year.
Our Inspiration, Cole
Cole Matthew Winnefeld was born on December 15, 2003, a seemingly healthy baby boy, and a beloved little brother to us—his parents and his big sister, Lauren.
He loved all things boy: Hot Wheels, Thomas the Train and Lego, and he went through the first five years of his life with little fanfare.
In April 2009, during a family vacation, Cole fell off of a bunk bed and, we thought, injured his back or hip. When we returned home, he was limping, having trouble sleeping and not eating well. We took him to the pediatrician only to be sent home.
The limping continued, accompanied by vomiting and waking up in the night. A second doctor’s visit included an x-ray and CT scan, which revealed a softball-size tumor around his adrenal gland.
Cole was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma. It also involved the bone marrow and lesions in multiple bones throughout his body.
He began the fight of his life, battling multiple rounds of high dose chemotherapy, multiple complex surgeries and radiation. His neuroblastoma, it turned out, was chronic, and many experimental treatments followed, including a painful mouse antibody therapy, novel radiation and multiple phase I therapies.
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His fight ended on July 29, 2015, but his family continues to fight in his honor and memory.
Please help us in the fight against neuroblastoma.
