FAIRVIEW, Tenn. (WTVF) — It's rare we do a follow-up to a story from 40 years ago, but that's exactly what we're doing now. NewsChannel 5 first met a family in 1986 in the middle of a major news story.
Today, those people say the experience taught them a lesson they've carried ever since.
It started here. I got an email from someone asking if we still had this 1986 story in the NewsChannel 5 archive. We did have it. The story grabbed me so much, I reached out to the people who were in it 40 years ago.
"Seems like longer than that, actually," said Dennis Cole.
"Well, it's with you every day, y'know," said Phyllis Cole.
Dennis and Phyllis are no longer married, but they're forever bonded by what happened.
In 1985, Dennis and Phyllis's daughter Amber was born three months early. Little Amber was at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"She was a pound and ten ounces when she was born, and she lost down to a pound and three ounces," Dennis said.
"She was so tiny," Phyllis added. "Incredibly tiny. At risk. It was just horrible the things she had to go through."
"Two weeks after she was born, they had to do heart surgery on her," Dennis continued. "It was day to day there for a while. It was very scary."
"I still had good faith she was gonna make it," Phyllis said. "I think that was the main thing, never giving up hope. It was four-and-a-half months in the hospital."
The day did come Dennis and Phyllis were finally able to take Amber home to Fairview.
"Oh, what a relief," Phyllis remembered. "It was a beautiful day. People were calling, so happy we were home."
It is at this point the news story from 1986 comes in.
"As Johnny Cash said, 'I hear that train a'comin,'" Phyllis said. "It really felt like a train coming above us."
"I could put my hands on the door and feel the pressure, and we were in a mobile home," Dennis added.
Within an hour of Amber getting home, a tornado hit their Lake Road neighborhood.
"The whole cabin to the left of us blew up!" Phyllis said. "I could see it up in the air spinning."
The trailer Dennis, Phyllis, and Amber were in wasn't damaged, but there was a different big problem.
"All the power goes out and my daughter's on an oxygen machine," Dennis said.
There was help on the way.
"The rescue squad brought us a generator, and we hooked everything back up until we got the power back on," Dennis said.
That was when the news crew met Amber. After a very scary beginning to little Amber's life, it finally looked like everything was going to be okay.
You know, I never did say who wrote in asking about this story from 40 years ago. It was Amber.
"Well, honestly, I just wanted to show my husband the video footage!" Amber laughed.
Both Dennis and Phyllis have gone on to lead wonderful lives, but they say this experience taught them something. Whether it was the team at Vanderbilt or the crew out in Fairview with the generator, there are good people out there who help.
"It's just amazing what life can throw at you and the people involved in those moments that you still remember," Phyllis said.
"I'm very thankful," Dennis nodded. "I'm very proud of [Amber]. I never believed she would be the person she is today. I just gave her away at her wedding. She just got married. I just thank God she's alive."
What a story you have, Amber.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
I always say storytelling is a team sport, and a key part of the NewsChannel 5 team is our photojournalists. They are nationally recognized for their talents, more importantly, they are also great people. Enjoy this peek behind the lens, get to know them, and see some of their most notable work of 2025!
- Carrie Sharp
