This is my son Zakery. He just turned 14 this past November. Zakery is the youngest of six. He's a healthy, happy 14-year-old who loves to joke, make people laugh, and feel happy. He’s been dealt some bad hands in life but rolls with the punches, and we keep moving forward.

Well, on the 9th of January 2026, Zakery got the flu. He was very sick, and after about a week, he just was not getting better. We took a few trips to the ER and a few more to the doctors with no answers. Then, one last trip to the ER on Sunday, the 25th of January, they discovered a sack of fluid in his abdominal wall, which is very unusual. So, they prepared us to get transported to Doernbecher's for surgery. They did surgery to place a tube to drain the sack in his abdomen and began other tests. They discovered an infection in his brain and face, so next was a surgery on his brain to remove as much infection as possible. It was a 6-hour surgery on the brain and 1 hour for ENTs for sinuses. The next MRI discovered blood clots in the jugular vein in his neck and some in his face. It's a waiting game on those because he can’t yet have blood thinners. The next discovery was bacteria in his lungs. This was a long process with so many tests and highs and lows. He is doing well at this point. He has gotten up on his own, and his one saving grace was the PS5 he got to play. His comment was, “I would get brain surgery again to get to play this.”

So, we will be here a few more days depending on the decision for blood thinners or not. Blood thinners will make the stay longer, which we don’t mind because he’s in such great hands. The wish is to surprise him with a PS5 and some games and controllers when he gets home. He will be on IV antibiotics for at least 6 weeks at home with around-the-clock care by me. I am also going to be off work, and although I’ve applied for family medical leave, I’m told it may take some time to go through. I will need some help with food and any other things that may come up, gas for appointments, and so on. Even just a little help to get him this gift will be amazing, and I appreciate anyone who even takes the time to share this GoFundMe. Praise Jesus❤️‍