Morrison benefit worthy of support

This is not something that's supposed to happen to vibrant, athletic 21-year-olds.

While today is a day to celebrate the accomplishments of the Daily Herald's All-Area football players, it's also a day to tell a story of a young man who is, on a daily basis, fighting for his life.

Zach Morrison is a 2007 graduate of Burlington Central. He, too, was an all-area football player, helping the Rockets to a 10-2 season and the Class 4A state quarterfinals in 2006. A three-year varsity player who was a bruising fullback and a hard-hitting linebacker, Morrison graduated from Central and went on to what he hoped would be a successful college career at Carthage College in Wisconsin. He was a three-sport athlete at Central his senior year, not only playing football and wrestling, but also a four-year member of the school's baseball team. His future was bright.

But as we all know, life has a tendency at times to throw us curveballs, and the one thrown at Morrison is of the major-league variety.

In late September of 2008, Morrison started having some feelings of disorientation.

"He got on the field and he knew he was playing football but he didn't know what he was doing," explained Zach's mom, Sheila. "They got back from a game in California and they were out at practice and he just felt weird. Later that night, he didn't know his roommate's name."

"I remember the first time I started feeling it," Zach recalled earlier this week. "We were coming out of a huddle at practice and I just completely forgot what the play was, and that was the end for me."

A new challenge

It may have been the end of football, but it was the start of a new challenge for Zach and his family and loved ones - a challenge far beyond trying to hit a hole before a defender, or stopping the other team's running back from gaining yards. This is a challenge of life.

No one really knew what was wrong with Morrison at that time. His girlfriend of over 3 years, Claire Ehorn, called Sheila concerned. Some thought he was just suffering from dehydration.

"But it kept happening," said Sheila, who is a registered nurse. "Then the seizures started and he began hallucinating. Me being a neuro nurse, I knew we needed an MRI."

The MRI revealed the worst. There was a lesion on Zach's brain. He began getting care from a team of doctors at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee (the family had moved to Wisconsin after Zach's graduation from Central).

"The seizures progressed," Sheila said. "He was getting MRIs every three months and they thought it was benign or a low-grade cancerous tumor. But the seizures increased over the summer and this fall he had a major grand mal. The behavior of the tumor had changed."

On Nov. 2, Morrison underwent a surgery in which doctors removed a part of his skull for mapping purposes. On Nov. 4, they went back in to remove the tumor but it was discovered that his tumor, located on the temporal lobe, also extended into his brainstem and was unable to be removed during the surgery. He has stage 2 astrocytoma and removing the entire tumor would have wiped out his entire memory. Because of this, Zach will need to complete radiation therapy 5 days a week for 5 to 6 weeks beginning in January. His mom said that statistics show 100 percent of these tumors come back after surgery. Sheila said the radiation does not increase the longevity of life but it does delay the recurrence of the tumor. Research and statistics show that only about 20 percent of people with this disease live for 6-7 years, 10 years on the outside.

"But statistics are just statistics and obviously we're praying for otherwise," Sheila said.

He's a fighter

Zach Morrison has always been a fighter, and he's fighting this twist in his life with all the zeal you might expect from a 21-year-old athlete who prides himself on his physical condition and who just loves to work out and weight lift religiously. Tuesday was a good day for Zach, as doctors cleared him to return to minimal weightlifting. He is currently on medical leave as a student at Illinois State.

"The day the information was given, I had the normal breakdown but now I'm just staying as positive as possible," said Zach, who continues to see doctors regularly as he fights the disease, which has affected his short term memory more than anything.

"I've had a ridiculous amount of support and it's actually helped me reconnect with people I haven't talked to in a while. A bunch of friends have driven up to see me and that's cool."

There is no explanation for why Zach has contracted this disease. Sheila says doctors do know the tumor has been there since Zach's high school days and it's even possible he was born with it. What's also known is that Zach will need monitoring and MRIs every 3 months as well as testing for the rest of his life.

"As a mom, this has been beyond devastating," Sheila said. "I had to be the person who broke it to Zach and that's something a mother should never have to do with their child. On the good side, it's been family-affirming and uniting."

A worthy cause

There's another side to this story, and that's the financial side. Zach's dad, Wayne, was laid off in July and Sheila says that by the end of this month things will be dire for the Morrison family. Insurance only goes so far and the surgeries themselves cost nearly $300,000.

"Finances are bad, I just can't put it any other way," said Sheila, who is working when she can but who also has Zach's two younger brothers in school. "By January 1st we'll be flat broke. The last thing I wanted to do was take a job right now but we have to make ends meet. I don't want Zach out of my sight."

To help with the financial crisis the Morrisons face, Ehorn and her family have organized a bowling benefit for Zach at Elgin Lanes on Sunday, Dec. 20. As of Wednesday, nearly 200 people had signed up through Facebook to attend the event. The benefit will help raise money for Zach's mounting medical expenses. Admission for the event will be $30 for adults, and $15 for children age 12 and under. This price will include 3 games of bowling, shoes, and food catered by Beef Villa. In addition a silent auction and raffle will be held, and the family will be accepting donations. Dec. 17 is the registration deadline and you can register by searching Bowling Benefit for Zach Morrison on Facebook. If you're not on Facebook and wish to attend the event or donate to Zach's cause, please contact me at the e-mail address at the end of this column and I'll put you in touch with the Ehorn family. If you have an ounce of compassion, let this be a cause you donate to.

Zach Morrison is a strong young man, and he remains a role model within the Central football program.

"He's meant quite a lot to our program," said Central football coach Aaron Wichman. "Some of the younger guys in our program look up to that '06 team and when we talk about that team Zach's name always comes up. Since I've been here there are a handful of kids who have left an impression on what kind of person they are, what kind of impression they left here, and what kind of football player they are and Zach always comes up in those conversations. There are nothing but positives about Zach."

Staying positive

And that's how Zach is approaching life these days -positively.

"There's nothing I can do about why it happened," said Zach, who stays in touch with many people around the Central football community, most notably current player Tim Maroder. "I still work out often and I just try to keep busy with whatever I can. I take long walks. I stay active and not just play video games all day. My brain power and memory is coming back some since the surgery and after radiation I'm supposed to gain another 10 percent. I can't wait for that other 10 percent."

The Morrisons are most grateful for the Dec. 20 bowling event.

"We're looking forward to it and to seeing everybody," Sheila said. "Everybody's going to be shocked at how good Zach looks. He's fit and he's doing good."

And Sheila believes her son is going to be the winner in the end.

"He's going to be the guy who blows the statistics out of the water," she said while doing her very best to hold back her emotions. "He's going to be the guy who beats the odds."

We can only hope and pray that Sheila's right.

Again, anyone who wishes to attend the bowling event, or donate to Zach's cause, please contact me and I'll point you in the right direction.

And even if you can't donate, please remember Zach in your prayers. He's a vibrant young man who needs all the help we can give him right now.

jradtke@dailyherald.com

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.fight4zachfoundation.org/page/home">Zach Morrison's Web site</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>