June 2018 forever changed Carter Hinkle’s life. Starting his freshman year at Howell, getting ready for football season, it was all put on hold with a simple diagnosis, Leukemia.

Carter Hinkle was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia or AML which is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, it develops rapidly and affects white blood cells.

“Carter came to camp for the first few days of practice and he seemed fine, then he just kept getting sick, and so then his mom took him to the hospital, and he was diagnosed,” Coach Chojnacki said.

After Hinkle was diagnosed the Howell community spurred to life to help fundraise for Carter’s cause. The girls tennis team led the way, with a hat day fundraiser that raised $400. Other schools also jumped to help out, with Howell Central and Howell North hosting a dash for cash during their football halftime which raised $1,709.36. Fort Zumwalt North and Fort Zumwalt South also contributed to the fundraising with a combined $1,700.

“It was so impressive to see the Howell Community really come together to help Carter’s cause. To set aside our rivalry to help him was really cool. It was even more inspiring to see people outside our community being so willing to help,” Chojnacki said.

Hinkle also has a GoFundMe account which has raised $5,610 since it was first started only a few weeks after his initial diagnosis.

“Carter is such a good kid, with a good sense of humor. He’s fighting for his life but is still cracking jokes. If you don’t take anything else away you just gotta learn to not take life for granted and be grateful. Be positive, you just gotta stay positive,” Chojnacki said.