A story with heart
Forever Young, October 2001
By Ellen Ashton-Haiste
Carol Ann Cole,
known as the ‘comfort-heart lady’ who raised a million-plus dollars for cancer
research, has a bigger story to tell in her new memoir
She's
known around the country and beyond as "the comfort-heart lady," after her
fundraising initiatives distributing pewter hearts to hold or rub as
de-stressors for those living with cancer or any other life crisis, netted more
than a million dollars for the Canadian Cancer Society several years ago. But
Carol Ann Cole has a bigger story to tell.
A
self-labeled "valley girl" from Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, she left for the
big city of North Bay at age 18, landing a job in the secretarial pool at Bell
Canada. From there she climbed through the ranks, eventually making it as one
the first female vice-presidents at one of the country's biggest corporations.
Then in
1992, Cole and her mother were diagnosed with breast cancer within days of each
other. She survived after a lumpectomy and removal of some lymph nodes. Her
mother wasn't so lucky.
That
experience changed her life and prompted her to take an early retirement to
devote her time to working with cancer patients and fundraising for research.
The
story is now told in Comfort Heart: A Personal Memoir, an autobiography written
with the assistance of freelance journalist Anjali Kapoor and published by ECW
Press in Toronto. It was launched Sept. 20 and is now in bookstores.
Cole
says she had wanted to write a book and this one started out to be the comfort
heart story, including responses from people whose lives were touched by the
pewter hearts.
However,
after her proposal was rejected by five publishers, ECW, a small publisher which
describes its offerings as "writing that matters ... books that challenge,
provoke and make a difference," saw value in her story.
"They
said there is a story here. It's just not the one you're telling," says Cole.
"They said, “Make it the story of your life. It's motivational and meaningful.”
So that's what we did.
"The
story could really be anybody's story," she adds. "The things I've been through,
others have been there in similar or the same situations. I'm happy if people
can learn from the lessons of my life, if they think, ‘if she can do it, I can
do it too.’"
Cole,
who also has a part time career as a motivational speaker on a number of topics
from teamwork and leadership to self-esteem and dealing with change, was
recognized this year with the Order of Canada.
"I was a
nervous wreck, being included in that company," she says. "But I found so many
of those people were familiar with the comfort hearts and many had them. They
were all telling me their stories."
The
publicity surrounding that event as well as the book promotion is revitalizing
the comfort-heart campaign. Cancer-society offices and even the publisher's
marketing representative have received requests from people wanting to know if
the hearts are still available. They are and may be ordered by calling
800-407-4436 or online at
www.oceanartpewter.com.
Cole is
now working on a second book "about the lessons I've learned" and many of the
comfort-heart stories may be included.
“In the
memoir, I tried not to give advice or be preachy,” she says. "But there are some
things I think I know about – like how to climb the corporate ladder, how to
talk to cancer patients - and I think I can help people with some of that
knowledge."
Information
about the book and ordering information can also be accessed through Cole’s
website at www.carolanncole.com.
