BOTHELL — Cole Baldwin’s heart still beats. His lungs still breathe. His kidneys and liver still function.
Cole, a fearless boy who loved skateboarding and video games, died one year ago Thursday, at the age of 12, after suffering a brain aneurysm at his home in Bothell. His vital organs were donated, saving five lives.
On Thursday, dozens of family, friends and former classmates of Cole’s gathered to remember him at Fernwood Elementary School in Bothell. After pausing to share memories of the vivacious boy, they released brightly colored balloons into the gray afternoon sky.
In addition to honoring Cole, his mother, Marta Baldwin, urged others to consider registering as organ donors.
“Cole was an awesome kid,” Baldwin said. “He was so awesome, he was able to give the gift of life.”
Among the attendees Thursday was Annie Fuglevand, 19, of Redmond. Earlier in the day, Fuglevand — who has a rare illness called Alagille’s syndrome — finished the final class she needed to officially graduate from high school.
Doctors told her she would have died had she not been given Cole’s liver last year.
“He’s my hero,” Fuglevand said. “He gave me the gift of life, he gave me a second chance.”
Nearly 100,000 people nationwide are on waiting lists for organ transplants, including almost 1,500 people in the Pacific Northwest. About half of the people on waiting lists are likely to die before they can receive their transplants, said Jen Bergman of LifeCenter Northwest.
Cole’s story shows the positive that can result from donating organs, even amid tragedy, Bergman said.
“There’s a great need for people to understand what this is and to make an educated decision,” she said.
People at Thursday’s event remembered Cole for his sense of humor and his zest for life. Photos set up inside the Fernwood school gym showed him leaping into a swimming pool, playing a drum set and striking a Heisman pose while decked out in Seahawks gear.
Sherry Puhl, 35, a longtime friend of Marta Baldwin, knew Cole his entire life. Her son, Austin, was one of his closest friends.
Losing Cole hasn’t been easy, she said.
“There are good days and bad days, happy times and sad times,” Puhl said.
Knowing that Cole made such a difference in other people’s lives has helped the days pass a little easier, Marta Baldwin said.
Earlier this year, when Baldwin met Fuglevand for the first time, she realized Cole would continue to live on.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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