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Zachary Brown

Zachary BrownIn Honor of Zachary Brown—Survivor!


 January 13, 2006, during a flight from Atlanta, GA to Jackson Hole, WY, on what was supposed to be a wonderful vacation, our 19-year-old son suffered a grand mal seizure 30,000 feet in the air. The first seizure I had ever seen! 

A doctor on board started an IV with the right meds to help with the seizure. This "Angel" had missed his earlier flight and ended up on our plane. We flew 2 1/2 more hours with Zachary on the floor of the plane. An ambulance and two police cars were waiting for our plane to land, and they took Zachary, (and me) to the hospital. All the scans and tests came back normal. However, his doctor wanted to keep him overnight to observe, and do an EEG and MRI the next day. EEG was normal! He was diagnosed with a brain tumor the next evening after the reading of the MRI.

While in the hospital at Jackson Hole, a friend called me and told us to call Dr. Henry Friedman at Duke. I calledZachary Brown the Brain Tumor Center the morning we returned home from our trip. The receptionist who took all of my info, said the doctor would call me personally. I did not think that would ever happen, but, I was talking to Henry Friedman within 45 minutes! 

When we entered the Brain Tumor Center at Duke for the first time, we knew we were in the right place for us. 

Zachary had surgery June 9, 2006, to remove a Grade II Astrocytoma. Now, we travel back to Duke once a year for his MRI. All of Zachary's scans have been clean and stable. Zachary is doing wonderful! Living life to the fullest. 

7 years!!!

At Duke...there is HOPE!

Denise, Zachary's Mom

www.deliveringhopefoundation.org

 

 

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