Courage in swing

Ellen McCarty

The light of a television flickered in the room, but Zachary Hughes

wasn’t reacting to his favorite shows.

“Can I touch your hair?” his sister, Rachel, asked. Zachary nodded yes,

too tired to speak.

Since Zachary started chemotherapy in February, the family has watched

helplessly as the 14-year-old battles with cancer.

His hair is growing back softer than it was before, Rachel said, and she

teases him about it.

But she can’t think about the disease. Her brother is one of her best

friends.

“He hangs out with all of my friends,” 16-year-old Rachel said. “He gets

along with everybody.”

Annie, their mother, shares pictures of the duo before cancer --

Zachary’s eyes sparkling as he modeled Halloween costumes with Rachel,

and a framed photograph of the brother and sister stretched across a bed

with their Dalmatian.

Last Christmas, Annie bought a new wetsuit for Zachary, who loves to

surf, but he didn’t wear it, complaining that his arm hurt, she said.

A month later, when he still hadn’t worn his new suit, she took him to an

orthopedic surgeon, who found a bone tumor in his left arm.

Shocked, the family removed Zachary from school and acquired a

state-funded tutor, Annie said, but he looks forward to attending

Fountain Valley High School with his classmates in the future.

“He just wants to be back to normal, surfing and riding his dirt bike,”

she said. “He’s the most upbeat, positive kid. I have to believe he’s

going to make it.”

In June, 7.5 inches of bone were surgically removed from Zachary’s arm.

Doctors expected the procedure to eliminate 90% of the cancer, but it

removed only 10%, Annie said, because the cancer had spread to his lungs.

To make matters worse, Zachary’s kidneys failed as a result of the

intense chemotherapy during Labor Day weekend, so Annie transferred him

to the UCLA medical center, which means a longer drive but better care,

she said.

Annie sleeps in his room as he suffers the side effects of treatment,

nausea, vomiting and exhaustion, and struggles to give equal attention to

her two children and her job.

A friend recently discussed Zachary in an online prayer chat room.

Although she’s never been religious, Annie said that knowing people

around the world are praying for her son strengthens her as she prepares

for his lung surgery.

The family has received local support, too.

On Sept. 22, the Omni Club of Fountain Valley raised $4,100 for Zachary

-- $2,000 of which was donated by the Fountain Valley Police Assn. -- at

the Goof Off Golf Tournament at David L. Baker Golf Course, which donated

all the event’s greens fees to the cause.

“We hadn’t had a tournament for years,” said Larry Crandall, a city

councilmen and member of the Omni Club. “Zachary was our motivating

factor.”

After making his way through the wacky nine-hole course, which forced

players to tee while sitting on a commode, wearing cow costumes or

holding a basketball between their legs, Zachary received a trophy as the

“Most Courageous Goof-off Golfer.”

The event thrilled Zachary and his mom.

“It really was a godsend,” she said. “If they hadn’t helped me out, I

don’t know what I would have done.”

Individuals who would like to donate to the family can send food or gas

certificates to P.O. Box 4212, Balboa, CA 92661. The family is also

raising money to get shots for Zachary’s new puppy.