Carpet Capital Running Club, Dalton Georgia

Coulter Hampton Run To Remember!

(the following was written by Coulter's mom, Nikki Hampton)

In March of 2005, the small town of Fairmount, Georgia came together to help Coulter Hampton and his family with the enormous medical expenses they faced. Coulter had been battling a blood disease since he was 18 months old. After 6 1/2 years of fighting he was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. Coulter and his family were in Cincinnati, Ohio at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Fairmount Elem. School and the community rallied together to raise funds for the Hampton Family. March 12 was declared 'Coulter Hampton Day' by the Mayor and the community came together in a joyful day of fun and celebration. In a single day, Fairmount residents and friends raised $24,000. Two weeks later Coulter would lose his battle with Aplastic Anemia. While we grieve Coulter's loss, we want to hold on to the wave of compassion that swept over Fairmount, Georgia. Friends are committed to holding Coulter Hampton Day every year in an effort to keep Coulter's memory alive. We live as long as we are remembered.

Through the Coulter Hampton Foundation, Inc. 'Coulter Hampton Day' will happen every year as a celebration of his life. It will be a celebration of children and families. Funds raised through the Coulter Hampton Foundation, Inc. will go towards helping other families that are suffering with Aplastic Anemia/Cancer/or other childhood diseases. The Foundation will also honor those organizations that helped Coulter and our family survive his illness. These organizations include but are not limited to: The Lighthouse Family Retreat, Make A Wish/ Give Kids the World, Achieve Learning Center, Fairmount Elem. School, Aflac Cancer Center, and Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Coulter was born on Dec. 3, 1996 in East Ridge Hospital near Chattanooga, Tn. AT the age of 12 months he was diagnosed with Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy. FEVR is an eye condition that would leave him blind in his left eye and needing multiple surgeries on his right eye to maintain sight. At 18 months it was discovered that Coulter had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. He would need hearing aids and was enrolled in the Achieve Program to learn sign language. That same month he began to show signs of Aplastic Anemia with Dyskeratosis Congenital like symptoms, though it would be years later before a diagnosis could be made. Coulter began to need blood transfusions within the month and would continue receiving them throughout his life. Before his bone marrow transplant in 2005, Coulter was requiring blood transfusions almost every other day to stay alive. Coulter received his bone marrow transplant January 27, 2005 in Cincinnati, Oh. His younger brother Tinley was his donor. Coulter fought hard for 3 months before he passed away on March 29, 2005.

About the race: Terry Hampton (Father of Coulter) has run forever....as long as I've known him. I never ran until we started dating, and then it became 'our' thing to do. We went to races and I began to appreciate the sport. His enthusiasm was contagious and it spilled over to the kids he coached at Dalton H. S. As we are working through the grieving process, exercise has been a major outlet for anger, frustration, and a myriad of other emotions....especially for Terry. We are having to rediscover all the things that brought us joy before Coulter's illness over took our lives. Through the race we hope to ,of course, honor Coulter's memory, but more over, celebrate good health! For Coulter and so many of the children we know who are still fighting running, playing, attending school, are all privileges, not something they can do everyday. Things so many children and adults take for granted. When we run on the 11th we will be running for Coulter and for all children who struggle just to survive and we hope to remind everyone to take advantage of, and celebrate their good health everyday.

Coulter Hampton with very loving parents Terry and Nikki Hampton at the 1997 CCRC trip to the
New York City Marathon