Cole's Sister Dies During Kidney Drama

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posted: 74 DAYS AGO

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While Natalie Cole was in the middle of her kidney transplant surgery, her family was struck with tragedy. Cole's older sister was pronounced dead after refusing to start chemo when doctors found a cancerous spot on her lung. The singer's rep called the family's life-and-death drama "a tragic coincidence," NY Post reports.

Early Monday morning, Cole had been comforting her older sister, Carol, when she got a call from doctors saying that a kidney from a 22-year-old patient had become available. Doctors told her she would have to rush to the hospital immediately.

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"Natalie was there with her at her bedside ... and she got a phone call from her doctors that a kidney was ready for her. She said, 'What do you mean? I can't deal with that right now! I'm here with my dying sister!' And they said to her, 'No, ma'am. We've got to do it now. You've got to be at Cedars-Sinai in two hours,'" Natalie's younger sister, Timolin Cole said.

Cole had been battling hepatitis C from a past drug addiction and needed kidney dialysis three times a week and underwent the surgery. When Cole successfully came out of her kidney transplant surgery, she found out her older sister had passed away.

"This is all so surreal, and it is devastating," Cole's younger sister said.

Meanwhile, Cole's transplant was a success, and she's expected to go home over the weekend. Her family says "she's doing well, and she's going to party like a rock star in no time."

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2009-05-22 09:27:48

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