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  • Mar 28, 2008 6:47 pm US/Eastern
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Survivor Winner Also Survivor Of Childhood Disease

BALTIMORE, Md. (CBS) ―

He's a superstar athlete who is also a role model for young children who are living with a physically challenging condition that he too had many years ago.

Earl Cole, 36 was CBS Survivor Fiji winner from last season. He also survived Legg-Calve-Perthes syndrome -- a degenerative disease where a loss of bone mass leads to some degree of collapse of the hip joint.

Mostly young patients from across the world come to Sinai Hospital's International Center  or leg lengthening as treatment for Legg-Calve-Perthes.

Cole was at Sinai Friday to give encouragement to young boys and girls with the syndrome.

"Everything you guys are going through, I've experienced. You can see how strong I am today, so please never give up! Once you get past it, you will be able to do great things," he said.

Perthes is a relatively rare condition affecting only one in 1,200 children.
Children younger than six or seven have the best prognosis since they have time for the dead bone to revascularize and remodel.

With some of the $1 million he won on Survivor, Cole has started a foundation to fund research into Legg-Calve-Perthes syndrome.

Cole's hometown is Kansas City.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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