Kristen Kay Hunter
Kristen Kay Hunter
1997-2009
A special story of a child's dream, and her family's love.
Kristen Kay Hunter was a resident of Portland, Tennessee. Kristen was a bright, healthy, eleven-year-old, fifth grader at North Sumner Elementary School in Bethpage. Kristen had always dreamed of becoming a teacher; that was her goal.
In March 2009, Kristen contracted a staph infection, which is usually just a minor infection. Unfortunately, the particular strain which Kristen had contracted was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA), and, sadly, in just ten days, Kristen succumbed.
Of course, Kristen's family was devastated by the loss. On April 28, 2009, members of Kristen's family appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and discussed Kristen and MSRA with Oprah and Dr. Oz. That appearance has been credited with saving at least one child who had the same symptoms as Kristen.
Kristen's family has established a web site about Kristen. They have also started a yearly benefit to raise money to provide scholarships for students who want to become teachers. The scholarships are, of course, to honor Kristen and her dream. The first benefit fundraiser was held November 14, 2009, in Portland, Tennessee.
Kristen's grandmother, Barbara Hunter, writes, "Kristen was proud to call Portland her home and was a die hard Panther fan. She loved her school, friends, church and everything about Portland. I know our precious granddaughter is smiling from heaven knowing that we are trying to help others in her name."
The Kristen Kay Hunter Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a
non-profit organization
with all proceeds benefiting their local scholarship fund
Links
The Kristen Kay Hunter Web Site
Mission Statement: Honoring Kristen Kay's memory and dream of
becoming a teacher by helping others in her name.
If desired, transcripts of the Oprah episode may be purchased at Oprah's store.