Zackery Allen Carlson

 

          Zac was born June 16, 1997, as perfect a child as any parent could ever want. Ten fingers, ten toes and a smile that could brighten the darkest day. Big, blue eyes just like Mommy's. Daddy’s "little buddy" and Mommy’s ray of hope.

 

  

 

          Zac loved coming in to Dad and Grandma’s office every day. He had his own playroom. The clients that came in to the real estate /tax service office loved little Zac. The long hallway was great for bouncing balls, rolling balls, riding on Zac’s play car and the little tricycle. Whenever Zac would become quiet, we knew right where he was…the water spicket was just the right height and many a time, water was everywhere. He loved to look out the big picture window and watch for trucks, trains, birds and planes. He called a helicopter a "wactacktor". We could never figure out where he got that word. All his other words were so clear.

 

                                 

          At one year old, we made a list of all the words that Zac could say. To our shock, it was seventy or more words. Zac was very bright! He actually was talking before he walked. At two years old, he was in to everything. He was showing his gift as an athlete by playing baseball and football with his Daddy and his uncles, Todd and Brian. Dad played on a couple of softball teams and Zac didn’t just want to watch on the benches, he wanted to play with Dad. He loved fishing with Daddy and exploring with Mommy.

                               

          Zac started having cold-like symptoms, coughing, earaches, runny nose, etc. The doctor prescribed the usual medicines and told us everything was fine. A few weeks later, the medicines did not seem to be working very well. Daddy had Zac sleeping with him because Zac had been sick for so long. Zac woke up around 2:00 A.M. and sat straight up in bed holding his chest and saying "ow-ee, ow-ee". Dad called the doctor and then took him into the emergency room. Zac screamed every time he was laid down and wanted to be held. The doctor prescribed more cold medicine. "No x-ray’s, he’ll be fine", the doctor on-call said. He was not fine! The next couple of days he stayed with his mom and when she took him to his babysitter's, the babysitter called Dad and said that Zac needed to go to the doctor. This time when Dad took Zac to see the doctor, he insisted on an x-ray of Zac’s chest. It was revealed that Zac had a very large mass in the lung area and one lung had already collapsed.

                                      

          Our world turned upside down when the doctor came in to the examining room with tears in her eyes and said the most devastating words to be heard, "it’s cancer". We were told to get him to the hospital for treatment…NOW!

 

 

          Zac, throughout the treatments, was very brave and handled the poking and prodding better than any adult ever could. All the doctors and nurses fell in love with Zac immediately. He could always put a smile on anybody’s face. He always had a smile to give even as his life was ending. He smiled one last time and then he was in God’s hands.

 

 

          Because of Zac’s love, and knowing this precious little boy, I no longer fear death because I know that my boy will be waiting for me when it is time for me to pass away.