Zac was a 22 year old, kind, and driven human, and my firstborn. His goal in life was to be a fighter pilot in the Navy. Zac was in his final semester of college. On Sunday, February 14, he awoke to find that overnight, someone had smashed in the car windows of his and his brother’s cars. On Tuesday, February 16, Zac had to get to class. He had not yet had time to get his window repaired, and the car was full of shattered glass. He decided to take his motorcycle to school. Although cold, it was a sunny day, and the roads were clear. A few days before, there had been ice on the roads, and apparently, there was still some sand/salt remaining. The police think that Zac hit a patch of salt, which caused him to lose control of the bike. He was ejected from the bike, hit a road sign which caught his helmet, yanking it off of his head and breaking his neck. He survived the original injury but suffered a brain herniation and stroke the next day. Four days after the accident, we made the incredibly difficult decision to remove him from life support and let him go. He died in 2010. As I’m typing this, a cardinal just appeared in my window. Zac was a tissue donor, donating his corneas, blood vessels, his radius (bone in the arm), and bones in his foot – among others. I am glad for those he helped. I miss him every single day.
