“What’s better to give to than a hospital? Let’s find the people who need it the most. I just say, give your money to where your heart goes. I don’t care what it is – give something. It will make you feel better.”

–Steve Cole

Terri and Steve Cole met at the University of Georgia and quickly fell in love.

“She was one year older than me and 20 years smarter,” Steve said.

The two married in 1981 and spent the next 43 years building a beautiful family and a thriving business with their business partners, Dixie and Robert Bowden. As the Bowdens’ and Coles’ successes grew, so did their desire to give back.

Terri was active in their community, becoming a teacher of gifted children, teaching Vacation Bible School for over 20 years, making and delivering meals for families in need and volunteering for The Walker School and nonprofits like Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society. She also served on the board of the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art – a nod to her roots as an art major in college. From the very beginning, the Cole family had a heart for generosity, always placing the church and community at the center.

Pain that leads to answers

In October 2023, Terri developed pain in her abdomen that wouldn’t go away. Her care team initially thought it was acid reflux. However, when the pain persisted, Dr. Richard Scott Mills, Internal Medicine Specialist, ordered more testing.

The results revealed a heartbreaking diagnosis: stage 4 pancreatic cancer, an aggressive form that often doesn’t show symptoms until it reaches its later stages.

“I asked, ‘How much time do we have?’ and they said, ‘3 to 4 months.’ And that would’ve been the case, had we not done chemo and the other treatments,” said Steve.

Facing a difficult diagnosis together

Terri’s care team connected her with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and Dr. Madhurima Uppalapati, a Hematologist and Oncologist at Northwest Georgia Oncology Centers – Wellstar, located at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center.

“It took us about three months to get into MD Anderson, so Dr. Uppalapati took us under her wing and started treatment right away.”

Terri – with Steve by her side – started treatment three times a week at Wellstar Kennestone.

“You know, you’re scared to death. You don’t know what’s happening. You don’t understand the system. You’re not sure what’s going to happen. But everyone was very informative and kind,” Steve recalled. “The care team understood the situation and the severity of the diagnosis. Terri felt comfortable that they were going to do everything in their power to help her. When Terri felt comfortable, I felt comfortable.”

Two physician assistants, Megan Dalton and Julie Clark, made a special impression on Terri and Steve.

“They were absolutely out of this world,” Steve said. “They were caring, and they listened. They offered alternatives and showed a genuine fondness for Terri. Everybody loved Terri.”

Though her treatment was difficult, Terri’s care team went out of their way to ensure she was comfortable. Some days, treatment lasted for more than eight hours.

“You spend a lot of time there, so it’s nice to have people who care about you. They’re not just going through the motions. I guess you can’t have a job like that if you don’t genuinely have a heart for caring for others.”

Care close to home

Terri’s care being close to home played a large role in her treatment, too.

“When you’re sick and you don’t feel good, it’s difficult to fly all the way to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. I’m glad we didn’t have to go through chemo in Houston. It would have been difficult to go through strenuous treatment and then return to a hotel room, and not your own home,” Steve said. “Fortunately, we had Wellstar. We live about four miles away, and what a blessing it is to have such a wonderful hospital so close to home.”

Wellstar has always had a constant presence in Steve’s life. All four of his brothers were born at Wellstar Kennestone. In fact, he used to live just 500 yards away from the hospital. He would walk past it every day on his way to school. As time went on, he and Terri became close friends (and neighbors) with the late Dr. Robert Lipson, former President and CEO of Wellstar Health System, and his wife, Livvy.

“So, there are just a lot of connections all around. It’s hard to not feel a close affection for Wellstar when it’s such an integral part of our community,” Steve said.

A legacy that lives on

After fighting fiercely, Terri’s cancer progressed quickly. The Coles made the decision to return home under Wellstar Hospice Care – something that meant so much to Terri and her family. Hospice allowed her to focus on dignity, peace and quality of life in the place where she was most comfortable.

“My daughter and I were so happy that we could take Terri home. The hospice team made this transition as easy as it could be under the circumstances. They handled everything from transportation to furniture and pharmaceutical delivery to organizing nursing care. It wasn’t easy, but my daughter did a great job taking care of Terri. She would call the hospice team any time she had a question – sometimes at 2 o’clock in the morning – and they always had an answer,” Steve said.

After about 14 months of treatment, Terri passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family – just as she wished. Though her physical presence is gone, her spirit of compassion lives on.

In her honor, the Cole family generously donated $250,000 to the Wellstar Foundation in support of the Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Oncology program, helping expand access to compassionate cancer care for more patients.

“During Terri’s chemo, we bought everyone lunch one day. But we just didn’t feel like that was enough,” Steve said. “We wanted to give to Wellstar because of Terri’s – and my – experience there. We wanted to make people’s lives easier. We were very fortunate financially over our lifetime, so we feel like giving back is our duty.”

It was a lesson that was instilled in Steve from an early age. Every Sunday at church, “If you had two pennies, you put them in the basket,” Steve said. Steve and Terri instilled this lesson in their daughter, Anna, too.

“When Anna was around 8 years old, we started a family foundation with just a few thousand dollars. We held family board meetings semi-annually to determine our giving priorities. Anna was very involved in this process and still continues it with her own family today.”

After Terri’s passing, Steve and Anna discussed creating a legacy gift in Terri’s memory.

“Terri was too humble to discuss a legacy gift during her lifetime. She didn’t really like talking about estate planning. But what she did like was talking about giving money to people who needed it most,” Steve recalled emotionally. “She was a very generous person, and we knew that this gift would make her smile.”

When Terri passed, Steve and Anna received hundreds of notes from Terri’s friends, community members and everyone she had touched during her generous life, expressing how much she meant to them.

When remembering Terri, Steve has nothing but amazing things to say about her.

“She was very sensitive, strong and independent. If you were sick or needed help, she was there. I loved her. That’s all that needs to be said.”

Generosity that keeps growing

Their gift was powerful, but it wasn’t the first. It echoed the generosity the Cole family had shown just a few years earlier, when they first turned their gratitude for Wellstar into action.

In 2020, testing revealed Steve’s creatinine levels were extremely high. He was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease.

“I was scared to death. I spent five days in the hospital. But everyone there took care of me.”

Steve specifically has a great relationship with Dr. Indira Chervu, a Nephrologist affiliated with Wellstar Kennestone, who helps him manage the disease.

“She’s a really great lady,” Steve said.

Steve and his family were so impressed with his care team that they wanted to show their gratitude in a major way – by making a $100,000 donation to the Wellstar Foundation in support of Wellstar Kennestone.

“The Wellstar community has taken such good care of my family. We wanted to give in hopes of showing our gratitude,” Steve said. “I thank Wellstar so much for taking care of us – for taking care of my wife. You don’t ever want to have to go through this, but when you do, it’s nice to have people that care.”