Help Zach in His Recovery From Stroke. Please donate.
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On December 29th, 2024, my 22-year old nephew, Zachary Higginson suffered a massive stroke. Doctors misdiagnosed him and he did not receive critical scans until 15 hours after he presented at the emergency room. These scans showed a large clot in Zach’s brain and he was rushed in for emergency surgery to remove it. The stroke affected the deep section of the left side of Zach’s brain and he is now left with almost no function on his right side.
Before the stroke, although confined to his wheelchair, Zach was independent in many ways-even flying solo to Florida in recent weeks to visit a cousin. Now his future is uncertain. Because of the effects of the stroke, Zach has lost use of his right side and will require additional equipment and more hands-on care. Zach’s mother, Teresa, has had to quit working in order to take care of him and will most likely not be able to work again so that she can dedicate herself to taking care of Zach full time. In addition to this, there are other needs that will be required to provide adequate care for Zach including an accessible van/vehicle, a specialized wheelchair, hospital bed, in-home lift, special shower chair and surely other things we can’t foresee. Insurance will not provide full (or in some cases any) coverage for many of these items. This is what the funds will be used for.
Zach is an inspiration to anyone that knows him. He has faced his difficult circumstances with optimism, courage and faith. Robert and Teresa are awe-inspiring as well. They never ask “Why us?” and they face their challenges with faith and hope. They have sacrificed so much to give Zach opportunities and a meaningful life. We want to help them to continue to provide the best possible life for Zach and alleviate a little of the financial burden they will carry.
BACKSTORY:
Raised as an only child, Zach came to Robert & Teresa as a 5 month old baby and changed their lives. He has been a marvel ever since, and has impacted everyone around him in a powerful way.
Zach loved sports as a kid and was a good athlete. Around age 10, he started showing signs of struggle with coordination, endurance and strength. At age 11, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic degenerative neuromuscular disorder called Freidrich’s Ataxia. He is one of only 15,000 people in the world with this condition. Within a few years, he went from playing sports to using a walking stick and before too long, he transitioned to a walker. By the time he was a senior in high school, he was using a wheelchair full time.
Through it all, Zach has never complained. He says “it is what it is” and moves on. His motto is “Focus on what you can control. Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Just deal with it the best way you can”. Because Zach was losing physical abilities, he chose to focus on academics.
Zach was the sterling scholar in math at his high school and salutatorian in a class of 500. He has spoken to groups about how to be successful in spite of challenges. He has volunteered to tutor other students who were struggling. Zach served a service mission for his church and attended Brigham Young University on a scholarship-with the goal to be a high school math teacher. He was just about to start his second (and final) year of his masters program in math at BYU, but now his academic and career goals have been put on hold-maybe permanently.
THIS IS ZACH:
Organizer
Lisa Richardson
Organizer
Bountiful, UT