In April 2016, Zack went to the ER with a large, painful lump on the side of his neck and remained in the hospital for 4 days. He was diagnosed with a brachial cleft cyst.

Antibiotics reduced the size of the cyst down to where they could not find it on an MRI and Zack carried on. Late in July, after returning from a month in Spain, the lump was back, but again the antibiotics took care of it. Eventually they tested the cyst and found it to be benign and started talking about removing it.

In January 2017, the cyst was removed, but the next day, the doctor came in to tell Zack and his family that the pathology results found the cyst to be covered in lymphoma. Zack began treatment in February, right after the Super Bowl.

Zack is a huge sports fan and enjoys football, basketball, baseball and skiing, and all things Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics. Zack is also a scholar-athlete.

His family includes his parents, Sean and Beth, and his sister, Molly, 13.

He is a rising junior at St. Mary’s in Lynn.