Submitted by Paula Page PR.
Raised on a steady diet of dysfunction, death, alcoholism and abuse, no one would have expected designer Erin Cole to become the warm, witty and wildly successful businesswoman behind an eponymous bridal line.
“The Size of Everything” is the moving true story of a survivor determined to rise above her lot, and find meaning in madness.
On the surface, Cole’s childhood was unexceptional. Her divorced, working-class parents were financially strapped and patently distracted. She wore raggedy hand-me-downs and never saw a doctor. Supervision and emotional support were nonexistent. Food was scarce or inedible. Regrettably, holes in the soles of her shoes, dismal birthdays and an empty belly were the least of Cole’s worries.
In the custody of an alcoholic mother and abusive stepfather, Cole endured extreme neglect and extraordinary suffering. The tragic death of her 11-year-old brother threw her mother into a depressive tailspin, leaving 7-year-old Cole and her surviving siblings to fend for themselves. Despite her dreadful circumstances, Cole never lost her faith, her sense of humor and wonder, or her conviction that she was the author of her own life story – one that was destined to have a happy ending.
At times, Cole had no access to edible food. Other times, she was force-fed and made to
eat her own vomit. At home and at school, she was beaten with belts, fists and tree branches. She was molested, humiliated, bullied and belittled. She lived in a house where the dog regularly relieved himself on the living room carpet, and the cereal was crawling with ants. When her suicidal, bedridden mother demanded Cole bring her a knife so she could end her own life, Cole obliged. Because if she had learned one hard and fast lesson in life, it was that you obeyed your parents – or else.
“The beautiful and mind-boggling thing about Erin is her complete lack of self-pity,” said “The Size of Everything” co-author, Jenna McCarthy. “Never once does she portray herself as a victim. Somehow, she knew from an early age that she was destined to rise above her grim beginnings, and she never let anything steer her from that path. She is a remarkable and inspiring woman I’m honored to call a dear friend.”
The only one of her siblings to attend and graduate high school, Cole took a practical approach to creating her own fate.
“My grandmother would call me ambitious and tell me that I was going to do great things, and I believed her,” recalled Cole, the now glamorous, globe-trotting entrepreneur and mother of two. “I basically figured that if I did the exact opposite of everything I’d ever seen and known, I could make my life whatever I wanted it to be. So that’s what I did.
“My goal in writing the book was to shine a light on adolescent abuse and neglect, and spread a message of hope to others who are suffering,” Cole said. “Sharing my story has been a wild combination of liberating and terrifying.”
“The Size of Everything” is available on amazon.com.
