Meet our 2022 Ambassador: Zach
Meet Zach, our 2022 Ambassador, and his mother, Jana!
If you would like to be tested as a living kidney donor for Zach, please contact St. Paul’s Living Donor Program at 1-877-922-9822.
Zach’s Contribution
This past year, the Children’s Organ Transplant Society welcomed Zach as our 2022 Ambassador. When asked to be our ambassador, Zach greeted the opportunity with an automatic “Yes!”
As a kidney transplant recipient currently awaiting another organ, Zach is committed to spreading awareness about kidney disease and organ donation. He has been on dialysis for over eight years and travels for hemodialysis three times a week. The dialysis takes about 5 hours out of his day, yet he does complain and approaches it with optimism, “it’s not bad – I gotta do what I gotta do.”
When Zach travels to Vancouver, he often meets with our Executive Director, Debbie, and enjoys outings on behalf of COTS. He remarked that he was particularly thrilled to visit the aquarium and attend a VIP Canucks experience from COTS.
Zach is a respected role model among younger transplant recipients and kidney patients. Kids and youth at camp love to spend time with him, and it is overwhelmingly obvious that Zach is an inspiration to them. His advice to other children who are going through the transplant journey is, “be tough!” Holding onto hope is his prevailing message. Zach is a modest individual; through his awareness, he’s given more back to the world than perhaps he even realizes.
In addition to COTS, Zach is an ambitious individual and enjoys coaching 8th-grade basketball. He loves skateboarding, basketball, music, and hanging out with friends. He works at a dispensary, which is great for him because his managers are considerate of his dialysis schedule. He is in the midst of figuring out his future career goals.
Zach and Jana’s Journey
Zach was three days old when he was diagnosed with kidney disease. His mother, Jana, mentioned that they did not grasp the gravity of the disease until they arrived in Vancouver, started talking to the doctors, and truly understood the prognosis. Jana explains that back then, they did not have the same technology for babies as they do now – his kidneys were too small to be put on dialysis. Jana describes the first two years of Zach’s life as very “unknown.” He did not need peritoneal dialysis (PD) until he was 11. Zach’s story is a miracle, and his strength is truly admirable.
Zach had his first transplant on June 1st, 2017. His medical journey has been tumultuous, but he has exhibited resilience since day one. Within the first 24 hours, he lost the kidney, was on wound vac therapy over the summer, and his antibodies then spiked. When he developed pneumonia in September 2019, he was on life support for four days.
In January 2020, his blood pressure spiked high, and it became clear that his DP wasn’t working anymore. At that point, he needed to switch to hemodialysis. The politics around the pediatric label made the process of switching from PD to hemodialysis very difficult. Zach was followed by BC Children’s Hospital for the transplant side, but the dialysis side was now in the hands of adult care. The COVID-19 pandemic made things even more complicated; he had to go for dialysis on his own, all while meeting a new unit of doctors and staff.
Zach has and continues to be supported by his mother, the rest of his family (both immediate and extended), and his peers. In one word, Zach’s mom, Jana, describes him as a “fighter.”
Sources of Hope
Now, Zach is being followed by Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). Unfortunately, the transition from pediatric to adult care was not a smooth process, and it was poorly executed. That being said, the care he now receives from VGH is much more positive. They have instilled hope in Zach receiving a transplant, for example, saying, “it's not IF you get your transplant, it's WHEN you get your transplant.”
Jana mentioned that, in Canada, we concentrate on the blood type first and then antibodies. The Willing to Cross Program (WTC) looks at different approaches that focus on various sciences to increase access to transplantation for highly sensitized patients. Jana is hopeful that this strategy will open more doors for Zach!
Jana expresses that she has experienced trauma from what her son has gone through, particularly related to the heavy burden involved in making decisions for her child. Jana and Zach are grateful individuals and communicated that “amongst the clouds, there may be blessings.”
Jana beautifully summed up the interview by expressing her hope for Zach’s future:
I hope that we find his match sooner than later and that he is able to use his time how he wants to use his time… and not focus on planning everything around his illness and dialysis. I can’t wait for the day when his wants and desires are what drive his life.