Zachary was born on January 21, 2000 six weeks premature and was immediately transferred to Children’s Memorial Hospital for brain surgery to be treated for Hydrocephalus.
Zachary is now just a few months shy of his 15th birthday. In this short time he has undergone 36 shunt revisions and on craniotomy to remove a non-cancerous blood vessel tumor. Zachary was not only diagnosed with hydrocephalus but several other medical conditions affecting his eyes, hormones and brain. He suffers from epilepsy and is Autistic with Global Developmental delays.
Zachary is not defined by these illnesses or delays in his abilities. He is defined by grace, strength and perseverance. Zachary is a happy 14-year-old who is functionally five years old. Zachary loves to play soccer and piano. He is making amazing progress with reading and using keyboards to type his thoughts and feelings.
It is easy to forget all of our blessings when knee deep in hospitalizations, check-ups with specialists, going to physical therapy and weeding through all of the therapy and medical bills…but we try. Last year an accident dislodged Zachary’s shunt with a concussion caused the shunt to malfunction and it appeared that Zach was having a stroke. The recovery resulted in a huge therapy bill from our service provider that wasn’t going to be covered by our insurance.
We reached out to The Cameron Can Foundation and we found help – we thank you all for supporting The Cameron Can Foundation and for the help our family received. Words cannot express the gratitude that fills my heart for the assistance from The Cameron Can Foundation. Without your help, we would have lost therapy services until we could have paid the bill. Thank you!