Allow us to introduce our son, Zack. He has been raised in a small Colorado mountain town of about 500. He went to school with about 85 kids from 5 surrounding towns for middle and high school. In spite of a reading disability, he excelled in math and science. Zack loved sports and participated in soccer, wrestling and track. His senior year was particularly good as he came out of his shell and seemed to find his place amongst his peers. Chosen by the school’s coaches, he was recognized as the Park’s TJ Weatheral Citizen Athlete of the Year. This award recognizes a student’s contribution to sports, their grades, their ability to work with peers, and their community service. His future plans included attendance at Mesa State College in Grand Junction to major in mechanical engineering. His future looked very bright.
Then on July 12, Zack went down to Denver to watch his girlfriend play volleyball, spent the remainder of the day with her family, and then headed home. He fell asleep at the wheel about 3 miles from home and the resulting accident left him a T-6 paraplegic, which means he has no function below the middle of his shoulder blades. After stays in the hospital and at Craig Rehab, we are now trying to keep him motivated and are looking for additional programs that will enhance his chances at a productive life.
Although our insurance covers a fair amount of his recovery expenses, we now face the challenge of meeting many uninsured, injury-related expenses, some of which will include specialized equipment – an FES bike and a standing frame. Zack hopes to enter intensive therapy to strengthen his upper body and gain more function. The closest therapy center is 2 ½ hours away which means he will travel there every other week – staying a few nights in a hotel while going through rehab. It is our belief that with time, Zack will truly become an asset to society.
To help with these uninsured expenses a fundraising campaign has been established in Zack’s honor with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF). HelpHOPELive is a nonprofit that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years and catastrophic injury patients since 2000. All donations are tax-deductible and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Won’t you please consider making a donation today?Thank you in advance for your contribution. Together we can truly make a difference in Zack’s life.
Suzi Maki and Jim Peterson
970-627-5484
