Zack
At age six, Zachary tried on a new pair of swimming goggles and complained that he couldn't see through the left side. His mother, Robin, returned the goggles thinking they were defective; only the problem wasn't with the goggles. Zack couldn't see because he had retinoblastoma in his left eye, a rarity for a child his age. Before this incident, Zack had known about the vision loss for about a month, confiding only in his four-year-old girlfriend.
Two years after the enucleation and with the help of his father Stephen, Zack recorded his feelings and impressions in an article he wrote for the Retinoblastoma Support News called "Zack's Amazing Journey." The article encompasses his operation, hospital stay, and recuperation. In the Spring of 1990, the article was reprinted in the California Pediatrician. Zachary is also featured in the booklet My Fake Eye: The Story of My Prosthesis, published in 1991 by the Institute for Families of Blind Children. In 1996, Zachary earned the rank of Eagle Scout, a rank achieved by only two percent of all Scouts. For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Zachary planned, organized, and supervised the organization of Braille and large print books for the West Orange County Consortium for Special Education (WOCSE).
Zachary has loved the theatre since early childhood. He completed four years of training at the South Coast Repertory Young Conservatory, and appeared with Hal Landon, Jr. in "A Christmas Carol" at South Coast Repertory. Zachary graduated from the Musical Theatre department of the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA), where he was a member of the song and dance group, the "Kids Next Door." While at OCHSA, he was voted Outstanding 2nd Year Actor and Outstanding 4th Year Actor. In addition, he was awarded the Ethel Case Outstanding Actor Award for his portrayal of Arty in Lost in Yonkers at the Long Beach Playhouse.
Zachary is currently attending Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA where he is double majoring in Theatre and Music (Voice). He is a member of the Muhlenberg Theatre Association, the Muhlenberg College Choir, the Collegium Musicum (Renaissance Instrumental Music Group), the Holocaust Performance Ensemble, and is the Co-Vice President of Publicity of the Muhlenberg College Hillel.
As Zachary stated when he was 8 years old while recounting his amazing journey, "I think about it a lot. Every once in a while it really bothers me that I was unlucky enough to get retinoblastoma, but then I talk to my parents and they remind me that at least I was lucky to have doctors who could help me…." Zachary will do whatever he can to support Retinoblastoma International in their efforts to save children's eyesight and lives.