On September 17th, Cole Williamson (17), a senior at ADM High School, was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. Ewing Sarcoma is a tumor that grows in the bones or the soft tissues. Ewing Sarcoma has the possibility to metastasize, or spread, to other areas of the body, such as the lungs, bones, and even the bone marrow. This can result in many serious health complications, like Pneumothorax, which Cole experienced in the fall of 2019. Pneumothorax is a collapsed lung that occurs when air escapes the lung and chest walls. Then doctors weren’t able to detect the cancerous tumor. However, in Cole’s follow-up appointment in June 2020, doctors saw some cancerous areas in his chest x-rays. After visiting several doctors, Cole and his family found out that Cole had a tumor in his upper left lung, and in his left forearm as well. To treat the tumors, first, a forearm biopsy was performed on August 11 and followed by a lung biopsy. In between all of this, it was discovered that Cole’s lungs are working on only a 60% capacity. The treatment for Cole will take about 9-12 months. In these months Cole will undergo many chemotherapy treatments, radiations, and surgeries. 

In these difficult times, many people have come forward to support Cole in his battle against Ewing Sarcoma. In September, the school held a T-shirt fundraiser named CW2. There were more than 1,000 T-shirts sold and all the proceeds went to Cole and his family. These T-shirts were worn by Football players, teachers, coaches, students, and community members at a home Football game to show support for Cole. This shows just how much support Cole is receiving from the community. The football team has been a major support system for Cole. “Cole is a really good friend and teammate,” said Logan Krantz, senior at ADM High School. The whole football team has been there for him since the beginning and continue to support him. A way that they have been showing their support is by shaving their heads. On Tuesday, October 20, 2020, the football met at Cole Williamson’s house to shave their heads as a sign of support. The idea of shaving their heads had been in the minds of many. “We were all kind of thinking about doing it at first but Cole’s dad really came up with it and I thought that it would have been a great idea,” said Grant Garton, senior at ADM High School.  

In an interview with a few of Cole’s friends/teammates, Jordan Green, senior at ADM High School, said, “Right away I could see signs that he was a little embarrassed and unhappy about losing hair and as a friend, it’d make me happy to see him feel like he fits in more so I thought it’d be a good idea to get a group of friends and shave our heads. Cole’s been my best friend since around 8th grade and I’ve spent a lot of time with him throughout high school. We worked out together, trained for sports, and just hung out in any free time so I would say I do almost everything with him. It hurts to see Cole has to go through this but knowing him very well I know he’s a very strong kid and he will stay positive through this. He has the whole community backing him up and tons of friends and family so that makes me happy to know. Last I knew Cole would do the same for me. It’s not a life-changing thing to be bald, it will grow back but for Cole, it could really help him to feel less alone in his situation and help him to know that we will do whatever he needs to make him feel better.” Cole has meant a lot to the whole football team. Cole’s teammates did not have to give a second thought to the idea of shaving their heads. “Our motivation to do it was to support Cole, none of us could really even imagine what he’s going through so it was just something small we could do to show our support for him and show him that he is not doing this by himself,” said Grant Garton. Cole was “very surprised that they did it, but it definitely felt good to not be alone,” said Cole Williamson.

Cole has been through a lot recently, the immense amount of support that the whole community has shown Cole is unexplainable. Cole was asked about how he feels to see so many people supporting, he said “It feels amazing, I am surrounded by great people that are willing to do anything for me. And it’s way more people than just the kids that shaved their heads.” Receiving so much support from the community, school, students, friends, and family means a lot to Cole. Cole is a strong person and has faith that he can beat cancer.