Cole Sydnor
“I’m going to try to get out of bed on my own…”
Cole Sydnor sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury at age 16. His family began fundraising with Help Hope Live within a month of his injury as they grappled with the extensive out-of-pocket costs they’d need to meet to provide for a changed future.
They were told to anticipate $200,000 in home modification costs alone.
August 2026 will mark 15 years since the start of the fundraising campaign in Cole’s honor. He and his wife, Charisma, have more than 1.2 million subscribers on their YouTube channel.
Their channel covers topics deeply to help individuals living with and without paralysis to better understand disability, accessibility, interabled and interracial relationships, marriage, travel, caregiving, and emotional health.
In May, Cole shared an unexpected update in his life with paralysis from the chest down. As Charisma left the house, Cole was determined to get out of bed independently.
“If she goes in the morning, typically I just will wait in bed for her to get back,” he explained. “I’ll just get my phone on my lap and just kind of hang out.”
On this day, things changed. Cole attempted something he hadn’t tried before, and he was able to dress himself and maneuver out of the bed and into his wheelchair, all while documenting the achievement for their followers.
“What do you want out of life? Do you want independence? That might mean you’ve got to do some hard things.”
