Imagine one day your 7-year-old son is running around the football stadium while you’re on the field coaching, and the next he’s confined to a hospital bed for weeks on end. This is the reality for Socastee High School’s (SHS) head football coach Ben Hampton and his wife, Catherine.
After days of not feeling well and having a fever, the Hampton’s son Atticus’ health took a turn for the worse. After much concern from their doctors, Atticus was flown by medevac helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday, Sept. 29.
After two or three days of testing and anxiously waiting for answers, Atticus was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). SHS Athletic Director Josh Vinson and Principal Jeremy Rich both received calls with the news that same night, just days after their big win against Loris High School.
“It was all very sudden, you know. He was, [he had] a fever for about three or four days, had a little upset stomach on Friday, they took him to the doctor on Saturday,” Rich said. “And Sunday the doctor called with the bloodwork results and said you need to get here immediately, and they flew him down to Charleston.”
Vinson said it was extremely unexpected and stopped him in his tracks, as he was away at a Carolina Panthers game. He said once he got the call from Ben, everything changed.
“You don’t ever think, you know, kids get sick. I mean, we all fight colds and coughs and don’t feel good, you know, then all of a sudden, a healthy little boy that spends much of his Friday nights running around this stadium, watching his dad coaching the Braves, just all of a sudden is fighting, fighting for his life,” Vinson said.
Vinson said it’s been a month and a half since the diagnosis, and it still doesn’t feel real. He said they immediately told Ben not to worry about the school and the team and to focus on his family at this time.
“There’s very few jobs as hard as a varsity head football coach during football season to just step away, and that’s, and coach’s personality, that’s not him,” Vinson said. “But that was probably the first thing we told him, ‘You take care of Atticus, you take care of the family.’”
Vinson said the Braves didn’t necessarily have a game to worry about at that very moment, so in a way, he said the timing did work out and they found someone to take over his coaching duties.
“We had a week to try to figure some things out, with who’s doing what and, you know, we’ve been pretty honest with the [team]. We haven’t tried to hide anything from then, just any time we got an update, we’d get them together and tell them. This is a part of growing up,” he said.
Rich, Vinson and Ben all decided the best person to take over for him would be coach Chuck Henderson. According to Rich, this was never a concern. He said finding someone to help take care of the responsibilities of the Braves came easily, and the struggle stemmed from how they could help Ben and his family.
Rich said right off the bat, as soon as word got around on Monday, everyone was eager to help. Although they didn’t know what exactly they would need, they immediately started brainstorming and planning fundraisers.
After a couple of weeks, they found out what Atticus’ plan of treatment was, which included 10 to 12 weeks in Charleston for his first round of chemotherapy. Those who wanted to help knew Ben and Catherine would be driving back and forth between Myrtle Beach and Charleson, so this sparked their first fundraiser; food and gas cards.
“Our local schools here in the Socastee cluster, they jumped on it as well, we got assistance from then. Catherine is the principal at Burgess Elementary School down in the St. James cluster, they jumped in. So, it’s been a full community outreach with this,” Rich said.
So far, they have had people donate gift cards, house cleanings and things for Atticus’ sister Lily, and even have people taking care of their lawn while they’re in Charleston.
Coastal Carolina University joined in on the efforts, displaying Atticus’ photo and a QR code to the GoFundMe on the scoreboard in Brooks Stadium in addition to the players sporting orange ribbons on their helmets. Atticus later received a surprise visit from running back Braydon Bennett and quarterback Ethan Vasko who gifted him his own jersey and a signed helmet.
Their biggest fundraiser so far was created by the cheerleading team at SHS, a Halloween trunk-or-treat, which went from “I hope we get 20 people to we don’t have enough room in our parking lot,” Vinson said.
In addition to fundraisers, the school has been advocating for bone marrow testing, which only includes those between 18 and 35 years old.
“I think we’ve all known about bone marrow and leukemia but when it hits family, it hits hard, and you start thinking, ‘What more can we actually do?’” Vinson said.
Henderson said the doctors at MUSC are planning to give Atticus a bone marrow transplant sometime in January 2025, which he has already gotten a few “10 of 10” matches for, which means they met all criteria. Once he receives the transplant, he will spend about 50 days in the hospital and another 50 within 30 minutes of the hospital in Charleston.
To keep up with Atticus’ fight, Ben and Catherine have created a “CaringBridge” link where they post photos of Atticus and updates like his weight, white blood cell and platelet count and more. This page was created mostly for close family and friends but is available for anyone interested in monitoring his progress and supporting his battle.
“Despite the harsh physical changes Atticus’ body has endured, his beautiful eyes still glimmer with hope and his smile lights up any room. We love you so much, Buddy! KEEP FIGHTING!” his parents posted on Nov. 9.
His CaringBridge and GoFundMe can be found here:
https://www.caringbridge.org/site/fe846ce0-845d-11ef-8376-9f93d8735ab6
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-atticuss-fight-against-leukemia
