Funeral services for Michael Zacharovich
Donation protected
My name is Amber Zacharovich, daughter of Michael “Mike Zac” Zacharovich. Many of our family and friends already know my dads story from my sister and I’s facebook pages at Amber Zacharovich and Heather Jason. He was a unique man who was fortunately blessed with an enormous heart of gold. Intelligent, handsome and kind. He made life what he could with what little he had. Dad was diagnosed in early October at just 57 years old with Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia - 2, which is a rare form of bone marrow/blood cancer. Devastation hit him hard but his family and friends made sure to keep him strong and his positivity up to fight this. Dad needed lots of encouragment and affirmation that he could potentially beat this. A stem cell transplant is the only possible cure for his cancer type - however, this could not be done until the spring after he recieved chemotherapy.
The doctors explained to my dad that if the transplant scared him secondary to the risks, he could get transfusions 3 times a week and possibly live upto a year. This excited my dad however, that is no way to live. Shortly after he was diagnosed he started on a chemotherapy regimine to start killing off some of the cancer cells. Dad finally agreed to fight and take the risk of getting the transplant! He was now pumped to cure this thing. We were all so very happy with that decision. As the weeks went on, Dad was in and out of the hospital getting blood transfusions. His blood count and platelets kept dwindling more than normal. The doctors could not figure out why, we were all baffled at this point.
The last day that my dad was in his home, he was waiting to go to a doctors appointment and his nose began bleeding uncontrollably sending him to the hospital to get the bleeding to stop. My family and I took turns going to see him to keep him company and make sure he was okay, as the doctors tried to stop the bleeding and watched his blood counts. Other than having to spend so many nights in the hospital - he was laughing and smiling and enjoyed our company.
After just a week, the doctors decided to do another biopsy since things were declining. Unfortunately, the doctor informed him that cancer had progressed much more quickly than they had anticipated and he was transitioning to the Acute stage. The few chemo cycles he recieved the past 3 months were not working. So now he was told he would have to spend the next month in the hospital being treated with aggressive chemo to hopefully put the cancer in remission.
In just two weeks time, dad got pnuemonia, began having a lot of trouble breathing, and had some blood in his lungs. He then had to be intubated due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and being unable to breathe, and was moved to the ICU. In just a few days, the cancer had become explosive and he lost his fight quickly. This shock and sudden loss has affected us beyond belief. Losing a parent or loved one is harder than you ever anticipate. My dad was not afraid to die but we were afraid to lose him. He still had a ton left to do and had so much to look forward to in the upcoming years. This past year even before his diagnosis, things were finally looking up for him.
When you're a guy that puts everyone else first, someone who generously gives, when he doesn't have for himself, you are often left with not much for yourself. That was our dad. Unfortunately he had no assets or savings of any kind, no life insurance or death benefits - nothing left to help pay for expenses once he was gone. With his death coming so quickly, there was not much time to plan for these things, therefore my sister and I are asking that in lieu of any gifts or flowers, if you could please donate toward paying for his funeral services. On top of grieving the loss of our dad, the stress has come on strong with the quick actions and cost of the arrangements - adding to the emotion. Any amount would help but please don't feel obligated. Thank you so very much for all the support you've all given during this difficult time ❤

The doctors explained to my dad that if the transplant scared him secondary to the risks, he could get transfusions 3 times a week and possibly live upto a year. This excited my dad however, that is no way to live. Shortly after he was diagnosed he started on a chemotherapy regimine to start killing off some of the cancer cells. Dad finally agreed to fight and take the risk of getting the transplant! He was now pumped to cure this thing. We were all so very happy with that decision. As the weeks went on, Dad was in and out of the hospital getting blood transfusions. His blood count and platelets kept dwindling more than normal. The doctors could not figure out why, we were all baffled at this point.
The last day that my dad was in his home, he was waiting to go to a doctors appointment and his nose began bleeding uncontrollably sending him to the hospital to get the bleeding to stop. My family and I took turns going to see him to keep him company and make sure he was okay, as the doctors tried to stop the bleeding and watched his blood counts. Other than having to spend so many nights in the hospital - he was laughing and smiling and enjoyed our company.
After just a week, the doctors decided to do another biopsy since things were declining. Unfortunately, the doctor informed him that cancer had progressed much more quickly than they had anticipated and he was transitioning to the Acute stage. The few chemo cycles he recieved the past 3 months were not working. So now he was told he would have to spend the next month in the hospital being treated with aggressive chemo to hopefully put the cancer in remission.In just two weeks time, dad got pnuemonia, began having a lot of trouble breathing, and had some blood in his lungs. He then had to be intubated due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and being unable to breathe, and was moved to the ICU. In just a few days, the cancer had become explosive and he lost his fight quickly. This shock and sudden loss has affected us beyond belief. Losing a parent or loved one is harder than you ever anticipate. My dad was not afraid to die but we were afraid to lose him. He still had a ton left to do and had so much to look forward to in the upcoming years. This past year even before his diagnosis, things were finally looking up for him.
When you're a guy that puts everyone else first, someone who generously gives, when he doesn't have for himself, you are often left with not much for yourself. That was our dad. Unfortunately he had no assets or savings of any kind, no life insurance or death benefits - nothing left to help pay for expenses once he was gone. With his death coming so quickly, there was not much time to plan for these things, therefore my sister and I are asking that in lieu of any gifts or flowers, if you could please donate toward paying for his funeral services. On top of grieving the loss of our dad, the stress has come on strong with the quick actions and cost of the arrangements - adding to the emotion. Any amount would help but please don't feel obligated. Thank you so very much for all the support you've all given during this difficult time ❤
Organizer
Amber Zacharovich
Organizer
North New Hyde Park, NY
