Good Morning Team Zachary,

Zachary Update, Journal and Help Zachary Help Others update:

Zachary is bustin' a gut to get to Cabela's to buy a grill so when he gets home he can grill out. Never mind that he hasn't eaten in weeks. Oh, and he's figuring out how to get his bass boat hooked up to his jeep to pull it to the lake this summer with Dara and Sammy, their dog. Never mind that he doesn't OWN a bass boat! And he wants to throw a party for Team Zachary and have everyone come. Not a pitch in! No, no. 'A real party!' Who know, maybe he'll cook for us on the grill he plans to buy at Cabela's! That would certainly be a party I would love to attend.

... Randy Travis is serenading me today ... 'and I think back to the times when everything I treasured wasn't on that fragile line ...'

One of the ironies of this situation is as strong as my will is, as much as I want with all my heart to directly help Zachary, I can't. I can't help my own child directly when it comes to his cancer. The only service I can provide to him is helping other people's children in the future.

Maybe Randy Travis could find a kernel of a country song in that!

I find that I'm spending my days lately lookin' for a miracle. And you know what, I find them everywhere. Everywhere there are miracles. Everywhere.

The letters I'm receiving with the checks ... holy cow. "Thank you for allowing me to help." $100 checks coming in from people who are barely making it financially with notes on them that would just break your heart. Little kids going to their piggy banks and contributing because they want to help. And business owners--I don't even know what to say about their families' generosity. People I don't even know are helping en masse! Lots of them.

And others send pictures to me of Zachary, people who don't know him are holding him in their hearts, and those who went to school with him are writing letters that are so precious and move him so deeply.

Everywhere there are miracles. Everywhere.

Today Dara, Zachary's wife, is giving blood for the first time. Think about that. Here she is looking at her husband whose flesh is so disfigured from the fluid being pumped into him to protect his kidneys that his skin is literally breaking and she is looking for ways to DO SOMETHING (as a verb not a slogan) to be of service. Talk about staying in your circle of influence! Needless to say, Dara is both my teacher and my hero ... all five feet of her. I love her with all of my heart.

Last night I spoke with Zachary and told him that his fundraising was at $53,150 which included checks, online contributions, a $10,000 pledge and our matching donations. He said, 'That's great Ann. It's like selling Girl Scout cookies. People just can't say no. There is so much work to be done. I lose my words pretty quick when I think about it.' He couldn't continue this thought ... his words were lost in emotion.

If you are moved to 'Help Zachary Help Others' please feel free to mail a check payable to the University of Nebraska Foundation and send it to Ann St. John, 210 E. Gilbert, Bloomington, IN 47408, or if you'd like you can give by credit card on line at www.nufoundation.org/teamzachary. We will match dollar for dollar all contributions given in April. If you know of someone who might find it meaningful to contribute to this effort, please feel free to forward either this e-mail or the one from April 1st, which is much more to the point.

I'll leave you with a line from the song that Zachary sang to me last night on the phone.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."

My love to you and yours,

Ann