Team Zachary,

This edition of the Team Zachary update has a guest writer! It's me, Jane--Ann's sister, Zachary's aunt. I came with Ann on this trip to the Lied Transplant Center in Omaha, to visit Zachary and Dara. Having read the updates on email as you have, I had an idea of what to expect. What I've experienced surpasses what I expected in quality.

The lodging facilities are nicer--curves and wood where you'd expect to find angles and plastic; the friendliness of the service and medical staff exceeds what I thought; the food is cooked well and with a lot of variety; the art on the walls are original paintings and photographs, not posters (did you know that Warren Buffet's son, Howard, was a photographer for National Geographic?; his photos from around the world line one hallway); the architecture of the building allows for natural light where you wouldn'texpect it. Nothing has been the simplest way to do whatever it is and yet it's not extravagant. Just tasteful and finally, comforting.

Zachary looks like a cancer patient who has had a lot of chemotherapy and is doing well. He has the telltale bald head and no eyelashes or eyebrows but his weight, goofiness and charm are reassuringly intact.

Dara is a sentinel in her care. She is diligent and loving. I cannot fathom the first year of marriage consisting of a trial like this, nor can I imagine handling it as well as she and Zachary have. It is a testament to their love for each other.

Now this is Ann: Zachary and Dara are beginning their drive home to Bloomingtonthis Tuesday and will be home by Thursday. His chemotherapy is done. Now we start with radiation treatment for 30 days, which will be in Bloomington or Indianapolis. I'll have to update you on what that means, what the treatment is like, because this is his first time for radiation. We don't know. In about 3 months, he'll come back to Omaha and be tested again to see where we are. Tumors?? Cancer?? We are praying for a clean bill of health at that time because we have never gotten that result.

I read a brochure from the Nebraska Medical Center. Its first line is 'We believe Hope is our best medicine'.

THANK YOU to everyone who sent cards, who hold Zachary and Dara in their thoughts, who sends them good wishes and root for them. I so often find myself feeling totally helpless. The ONE learning from me in this whole situation is to stay in my sphere of influence--what CAN I do...not what can't I do. So I do what I can. I take comfort in you all and your generosity of love. I can do that ...

Signing off for now,

The St. John sisters