Super Cooper 5K Run donates to TGMC

More than 200 locals took to the streets in March for the third annual Super Cooper 5K Run to benefit area children born with heart defects and other serious medical conditions.

The Fontenot family – John, Ashley and sons Remy and Cooper, the namesake of the Cooper Life Fund – were on hand June 21 to present Terrebonne General Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a $6,250 check from race proceeds.

“The great news about all this money is there is zero overhead,” John Fontenot said. “It doesn’t go to administration or any type of salaries. It goes directly to the families of the children who have the medical issues. That right there is worth it to me.”

Four-year-old Cooper was born with a congenital heart defect – transposition of the great vessels – which required several operations to correct beginning nine days after his birth.

His parents credit his good health today to the medical care he received in Houma and Lafayette.

“Basically, the aorta and pulmonary artery grow on opposite sides of the heart. The change affects every aspect of living,” Fontenot explained.

“Cooper is doing great. We did not want to take that for granted. We had a lot of support and resources.”

Since that day, the Fontenots have vowed to help aid the families whose babies have severe medical issues.

“We are honored to receive this generous donation that will benefit many families that experience an unexpected stay in our NICU,” said Phyllis Peoples, TGMC president and CEO. “These proceeds will enhance the medical services that are provided at the hospital by addressing the social needs that the families of our patients may have as a result of their baby being in NICU.”

Altogether over the last three years, the Cooper Life Fund has raised over $41,000.

According to Laura Poole, director of women’s services at TGMC, the money has gone to make gift packages for the mothers and also helps pay for things like gas and telephones for the parents affected by extended hospital stays.

“It’s been extremely beneficial,” she said. “John and Ashley stay very involved in the decision making.

“We were able to purchase rocking chairs designed for the moms whose babies are breast-feeding and we were able to have a sponsor so we could go in and get special training on how to counsel moms whose babies end up in the ICU,” Poole explained.

“Without all the work the Fontenots did, we would never have been able to afford these opportunities,” she added.

The Super Cooper Heart Run is a multi-regional event. There are annual fall races in Houma and Lafayette, the former hometown of the Fontenots.

“We couldn’t do it without the community that comes out and supports it,” Ashley Fontenot said. “We are very thankful to be able to do this for the hospital.”