Dene Cole is a walking, one-person MASH unit. Diabetic (1968), blind (1983), victim of a stroke (1992), heart attack (2002), kidney failure (2003). And those are just an outline of his physical challenges. Along the way he lost his first wife, Nell, after 14 years to complications from diabetes. “When Nell passed away, it was very difficult readjusting my life because we were a team for 14 years.”

But in talking with Dene, you wouldn’t know he has endured more than his share of difficulties since being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in 1968. His first shot of insulin came at age 5. “If my problems are all I thought about, I wouldn’t be very useful in life. To dream and make your life a beacon for others to follow is a great endeavor and a big responsibility. When you live life that way, you don’t have time to be sorry for yourself and you can’t help others to thrive and grow. If you only cope, you lose hope.”

Dene, an AIM Director, is the son of Dave and Linda Cole, Royal Emerald Directors from Washington state. In 1996 Linda was diagnosed with cancer. Mom called her son for advice. “Mom, walk by faith, not by sight,” Dene told her. “I have done that,” says Linda. “Dene has been my example of walking by faith through the obstacles of life. He does not give up or give in to the health challenges he faces daily. Dene keeps on a steady path moving forward. He has always been a positive thinker. He adjusts his life and choices according to each new health challenge.”

Dene credits his faith, attitude, parental support – “a lot of times it feels great but at times I feel like an adult being watched by my loved ones for the next failure of my body” – and AIM products for his survival. He pretty much takes all the AIM products. “AIM products help me survive and heal and do the work God has put before me. I am alive and doing awesome. AIM products have helped my body come back to balance and become more alkaline, the way the body is designed to be.”

It was Linda who influenced her son to try the AIM products. “My mother told me about the products, kind of told me to take them. After being on AIM BarleyLife® and AIM Herbal Fiberblend® for awhile I felt they were working for me.”

Dene’s daily regimen includes the use of AIM products and kidney dialysis. He has been a dialysis patient since May 2003. At first, it was hemodialysis but Dene says the “needles and other stuff involved with that type of dialysis are hard to deal with.” So he is now on peritoneal dialysis. In 2007 a tube was surgically inserted into his abdomen. Now, every day he plugs into a home dialysis unit on his bedroom dresser. The unit is about the size of a VCR. Dene is one of about 150,000 patients worldwide using peritoneal dialysis. His blood is cleansed of water, salts, and waste.

While Dene has a very supportive family, he also now has a second wife, Ann. They dated for a year prior to marrying in November 2007. They met through the Internet on Match.com, became friends, then married. “Both of us decided getting married was our next step in life, so we did it.” Dene now has a cat and a stepson, Taylor, age 10. Ann works for Boeing in the accounting department following 12 years at Microsoft®.

The Dene Coles make their home in Dene’s hometown, Marysville, Washington, which is located at the base of the Cascade Mountains along Interstate 5. It is close to many lakes and rivers and, when Dene was growing up, it was pretty much a farming community, but not so much any more due to growth in the area. Dene describes it as a “good area to live in. We are close to the mountains, it is a short drive to saltwater, we can fish, hike, or swim in a lake.”

Dene, now 45, worked in the ferries division for the Washington Department of Transportation on the help desk then as an administrator for eight years (totaling 12 years) until his health no longer permitted it, retiring in 2003. Retired, yes; idle, no. Far from it. Dene composes music, writes books, grows vegetables in his garden, and his newest endeavor is converting a gasoline-powered car into an electric solar vehicle. Dene, the oldest of three children, lives by a couple of simple standards, says Linda. One is, “Where there is hope, there is life.” The other, “Never give up or give in.” Says Linda: “We are blessed and proud to have Dene as our son.”

No doubt plenty of people have given Dene lots of advice during the years, but it is something from his grandfather, Frank, that has stuck with him. “Look where you are at, stop and think before moving forward, measure twice, and cut once.” That bit of caution carries forward when Dene is asked how best to handle an issue or problem. “Be still and listen for God,” advises Dene. “Sometimes it is a small voice. At other times, a loud voice in your mind.”

If a problem or challenge has any chance of being overcome, it takes a combination of three things – determination, patience, and courage. To keep moving in those areas, says Dene, he relies on three other factors – faith, hope, and love. “These three keep me focused and moving.”

Clichés about dealing with adversity are everywhere. “Do you see the glass half full, or half empty?” Or, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” And, “The trick is to make lemonade out of lemons.” We have all heard them, and plenty of others.

For Dene, life is not a cliché, his motivation does not necessarily come from something once said by someone. For him, it is really pretty simple: “I run the race by keeping my eyes on Christ.”

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