After spending 2 weeks at college our son Zachary came home for the Labor Day weekend and on September 3, 2014 our 18 year old son was diagnosed with cancer.  Our family's lives were turned upside down.  The doctors called it Stage 4 Mixed Germ Cell Tumors.  It had metastasized into a large mass in his lower back as well as into his lungs.  His prognosis was good and they said 4-6 rounds of aggressive chemo meds should give him the best outcome and good chance of cure.  Zachary had many complications from the first rounds of treatment and was hospitalized for three months.  His lungs filled with fluid resulting in the need for a chest tube and the chemo along with an intestinal infection wreaked havoc on his digestive system.  This required him to get nutrition through IV and later a G-tube as well.  After round 6 of chemo they told us his treatment was over, but recent tests have shown that his tumor marker numbers are still elevated and he will most likely need more chemo.
Through this whole process, we have tried to get him the best nutrition possible so his body could continue to fight this disease.  It has been difficult since the liquid formula's that are covered by our health insurance are full of sugar and chemicals and we feel they could actually be detrimental to his health.  We did find one nutritional formula product that is an organic whole foods meal replacement but unfortunately is not covered by our insurance.  It is costly but we feel it is Zach's best chance at getting through treatment and beating this disease.  Please consider helping our family (we have 3 younger children as well) with funding this quality nutrition for Zachary.  Your monetary support and prayers for his healing are greatly appreciated!