Real life Superhero travels the country to inspire sick children

Dallas police officer dresses as favourite superheroes to visit children with cancer.

Fort Worth PD Officer Damon Cole dedicates his free time to visiting sick children all over the US

Dallas Fort Worth police officer, Senior Cpl. Damon Cole, isn’t quite like the other cops: He is a bit of a superhero. During his spare time, and at his own expense, he wears superhero costumes and travels the nation visiting children battling cancer. 

“I knew that I had found my calling. I will go anywhere to see any child,”

His name is Damon Cole and he is a full time Police Officer in Fort Worth, Texas. He has been a police officer since 1999. As a police officer he has dealt with many children over his career. Bear in mind when he is dealing with them as a police officer, it is not always in a good light. So he wanted to try and make a big impact on the children that he came in contact with at work.

Every child should know that a police officer is always there to help them through anything. The best way to get that message across is to build up a trusting relationship with them. So around 14 years ago he had the Superman logo sewed on his bulletproof vest, that way whenever he would deal with a child on a call for service, he would tell them a secret but they would have to promise him that they will not tell anybody. He then made them pinky promise him to keep the secret. He would then undo his shirt so it exposes his Superman logo on his bulletproof vest.

At this point the children go crazy, and they usually ask him where his cape is. "I tell them that I cannot wear it with my uniform because it will get wrinkled. From that moment on the child will always remember me and that will make it easier for me to help them in the long run because they trust me."

Source: HeroesAndCopsAgainstChildhoodCancer.org Main Image: BehindTheBadge

How did it all begin?

Senior Cpl. Damon Cole, Fort Worth PD, describes in his own words how it all began:

"In 2012 while working for Dallas Police Department I started dressing up as Superman doing different community events and going to local hospitals. In April of 2015 I learned of a 7-year-old boy named Bryce Schottel who had cancer. Bryce lives in Smithton, Illinois, and he is a very big Superman fan. As soon as I learned all this, I just knew I had to make the trip up there to see him. I used three vacation days from work and I hopped in my Superman Charger and I made the 11 hour drive to see him. I went to his elementary school first as Iron Man and I took pictures with all the children and the staff at the school. I then went to Bryce’s house dressed as Superman where I met with him and his dad. Bryce was smiling ear to ear. I showed him my Superman car and I gave him some Superman stuff. I then gave him one of my extra Superman capes and he loved it. He immediately put it on and he didn’t want to take it off. I spent several hours with Bryce and I even dressed up as Iron Man for him. We then played video games for a little bit and I wish I could say I let him win but he really did beat me so many times. I left his house and went to a fundraiser that the local police department was putting on for Bryce and his family. I dressed up as Iron Man and I had my Superman Charger on display. I spent several hours there until I left to head back to Fort Worth, Texas. It was such a great experience to see how happy I had made him and his family and that is when I knew that I had found my calling. Ever since then, I will go anywhere to see any child so I can have the same impact on them as I did with Bryce and his family."

Source: HeroesAndCopsAgainstChildhoodCancer.org

A personal message from Officer Cole

I am very picky about all my costumes and I will only wear a costume if it really looks like the real superhero because I want to have a lasting impression on every child I meet. The children I go see always ask me how am I all these different superheroes, I tell them that in the movies they make it look like all the different superheroes are different people but in real life it is just one person (me). They child will than ask me if I can show them my super powers and I tell them I wish I could but I can’t. I tell them if I show off my super powers that they will get taken away from me. I can only use my super powers to fight crime. I give every child I go see an arm band with “Heroes and Cops Against Childhood Cancer” on it. I tell them that it has super powers on it and it will help them beat cancer or whatever illness they are dealing with but they have to do one thing for me. I than tell them that they can NEVER GIVE UP, they have to keep fighting for me.

Just please remember that everything that I do, ALL of this is done on my own time and my own money. My police department does not pay me to do what I do so anytime I go see a child during my work hours; I have to use my vacation time to do it. I also have a 10 year old daughter Savannah myself and she is my world. I do have my police department badge and patch on my costumes because I want everyone to know that I am a police officer and it helps me build a trusting relationship with them. If I learn of a terminally ill child that wants to see me, I will drop what I am doing to make that happen as quickly as possible. I will tell you a secret about police officers that everyone seems to forget, “We are no different than anyone else. “

This is my mission statement “I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say, because of you I didn’t give up.”

Thank you
Damon Cole

Source: HeroesAndCopsAgainstChildhoodCancer.org