Turning Love into Action for the Cure Coats’ 5K

When families participate in the annual Cure Coats’ 5K, they’re doing more than just moving for a cure - they are expanding the Coats' community, spreading awareness, raising funds, and accelerating research into a cure. This year, Harlan's family found a powerful way to turn their experience into action and has already made a huge impact on the success of the Cure Coats' 5K! Through their participation in the Cure Coats’ 5K, both as participants and fundraisers, they're bringing inspiration and hope for families navigating a similar journey. Today, they share more about their story, their motivation, and what this experience has meant to their family.

Can you tell us a little about Harlan's diagnosis and journey with Coats’ Disease?

Our sweet little girl, Harlan, was diagnosed with Coats’ Disease when she was just 7 months old. She was born with a slightly darker-colored left eye, and around 6 months, we began to notice that her left eye turned inward slightly. What we expected to be a routine eye exam quickly turned into multiple urgent follow-up appointments with retinal specialists.

We live in Huntsville, Alabama, where doctors first suspected Coats’ Disease in her left eye. It wasn’t until we were referred to Dr. Recchia at TN Retina that we received a confirmed diagnosis of stage 3B Coats’ Disease.

Since then, and all before Harlan turned one, she has undergone three surgeries, including placement of a scleral buckle. Thankfully, her eye is fairly stable right now, though we won’t know the extent of her vision in that eye until she is older. At this stage, one of our biggest challenges is simply getting her to keep her little glasses on to help protect her right eye.

What does participating in the Cure Coats’ 5K mean to your family?

Participating in the Cure Coats’ 5K means so much to our family. We have been wanting to find a meaningful way to give back and support Coats’ research and the foundation, and when I came across the 5K on Facebook, it immediately felt like the perfect fit for us.

We are a very active family, and this event gives us the opportunity to come together with our friends and relatives - many of whom only learned about Harlan’s diagnosis within the past year. It’s not just about fundraising for us; it’s also about raising awareness and helping others understand what Coats’ Disease is and how it affects families like ours.

Being part of something like the Cure Coats’ 5K allows us to turn our experience into something positive and impactful, and that means everything to us.

What motivated you to create a fundraising page for the Cure Coats’ 5K?

We knew we wanted to be part of the Cure Coats’ 5K, even though we aren’t able to travel to San Francisco right now. With three kids ages five and under, it made the most sense for us to participate locally.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have such a large and supportive network of friends and family, and creating a fundraising page felt like a meaningful way to bring everyone together in support of Harlan. What started as a simple idea has turned into something truly special. I’ve been completely blown away by the outpouring of love, generosity, and encouragement we’ve received so far.

Your campaign has been incredibly successful. What do you think made the biggest difference?

I’m not entirely sure, but I do know we are incredibly blessed to have such a strong and supportive network of friends and family across the country. I think a big part of it was simply not being afraid to ask for support and share Harlan’s story.

We’ve always tried to be a generous family, and we haven’t faced many major hardships until now. This experience has really shown us the importance of leaning on your community. Supporting a cause like finding a cure for Coats’ means so much to us, and I think our friends and family feel that as well. Their willingness to show up for us in this way has been truly overwhelming.

Did you find it difficult to ask people for donations?

Normally, yes, but in this case, it felt different. We’re not asking for donations for ourselves; we’re inviting people to support something so much bigger than just our family.

Every donation goes toward the foundation, helping raise awareness and ultimately, working toward a cure for Coats’ Disease. When you look at it that way, it doesn’t feel uncomfortable - it feels purposeful.

What would you say to another family considering starting their own fundraising page?

Do it! You truly have nothing to lose. Start with a small, manageable goal and just take that first step. You might be surprised by how many people want to show up and support something so meaningful.

Fundraising like this isn’t just about the dollars raised - it’s about bringing awareness, building community, and giving others a chance to be part of something bigger. It can end up being incredibly encouraging and rewarding in ways you don’t expect.

Any final thoughts or message you’d like to share?

Thank you so much for the opportunity to feature our family and our sweet baby girl - it truly means a lot to us.

We are just so grateful for the care Harlan has received, for the support of our friends and family, and for organizations working tirelessly to bring awareness to Coats’ Disease and fund research for a cure.

Our hope is that by sharing Harlan’s story, we can help others feel less alone and encourage more people to get involved in supporting this incredible community. Every bit of awareness and support truly makes a difference, and we’re thankful to be a small part of that.

For kids like Harlan, the Cure Coats' 5K offers hope for a brighter future. 

By signing up today or creating your own fundraising page, you're helping to raise critical funds for research, connect families to life-changing resources, and move us closer to a cure!

Thank you for your support of the 2026 Cure Coats' 5K!