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Family's Tragedy Inspires Others

Family Photo

Sherry and Zach Tucker attend a Tampa Bay Lightning game in 2006. Two months later, he died of glioblastoma multiforme, a form of cancer.

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

Sometimes it's the little things, stuff they once overlooked, that get their attention.

Like the cardinal hopping along the roadway, just a few feet in front of them.

Or a beautiful, scrubbed-sky morning.

"Simple things in nature do it for me," says Sherry Tucker of Valrico.

For Tucker and her husband, Dirk, those are tangible reminders of Zach, their blond-haired, hazel-eyed son with the constant, beaming smile, who died May 9, 2006.

It happened too soon, too fast.

Zach was two days shy of his 8th birthday when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme - a Level 4 tumor, considered an extremely aggressive and rare form of cancer for a child.

A few weeks before the diagnosis, the Tuckers had what they thought a perfect life - a beautiful 10-year-old daughter named Lexi, their handsome Zach, a sprawling suburban home, a cat and a healthy marriage of 23 years. They both had good jobs and a busy family life, with soccer games, swim meets and guitar lessons.

Cancer isn't supposed to happen when so much is going so well.

Sherry noticed it first. Her sports-loving son started having trouble riding his bike. He stopped using his left hand. And when he smiled, his grin was lopsided. At the walk-in clinic, the doctor thought it was something temporary, such as radial palsy, from pinching a nerve.

Weeks passed. She got an appointment with a pediatric neurologist.

Words can change everything. When a doctor tells you that the MRI results show a brain tumor on the right side of your son's face, a once-tidy world tumbles upside down. Thus began a journey that would include surgery and 33 rounds of radiation and chemotherapy treatment.

Thirteen months is the average prognosis. Like all parents, Sherry and Dirk knew their son was special. He would beat the odds.

Zach faced his battle with a lot of courage. He stayed optimistic. He never stopped smiling. But he only made it for 10 months.

Life events like this can be marriage-killers. Grieving parents often don't survive the pain of losing a child so young. But the Tuckers channeled their sorrow into a legacy for their son that is having a far-reaching impact.

In February 2007, they started the Giving Hope Through Faith Foundation, aimed at helping families going through cancer by sending care packages once a month for a year. The packages typically contain about $100 worth of goodies: gift cards, movie passes, restaurant certificates and an inspirational message on a different topic each month.

The Tuckers say they will never forget the outpouring of love and support they got from family, friends and even strangers when they battled cancer with Zach. This gesture helps them give back - and keep their son's memory alive. Dirk says it's like sending a big smile in the mail.

So far, more than 60 families have been helped by the foundation, which has raised more than $100,000 through the Zach Tucker Golf Scramble fundraiser and Zachary's Stocking, a gift card drive to fill stockings for children at Christmas. Karen Kotsovolos, whose 8-year-old son, Demetri, has leukemia, calls the monthly package divine intervention.

"It always seemed to come just when I was feeling my lowest," says the Clearwater third-grade teacher. "The gift cards were a godsend, but even more important, those inspirational letters were beautiful. I think my husband was struggling with his faith, but her words helped bring him back closer to God."

Another recipient, Anissa Mayhew, whose 4-year-old daughter, Peyton, also has leukemia, says you can't avoid all the emotional ups and downs that come with helping your child fight a serious disease. She has learned that if she can handle this, she can handle anything.

"As horrible as it is when you get news like this, there are some amazing blessings that come out if it," says Mayhew, a Brandon mother of three. "Getting this monthly care package was one of them."

Dealing with a medical crisis is not only emotional, it's financially devastating as well. Some families have to give up luxuries such as dining out or an evening at the movies. The foundation's care package makes it possible to feel normal again.

For the siblings of the patients, Sherry and Lexi put together bags with fun stuff: wigs, toys, Silly String, games. "Cancer affects everyone," Sherry says, "and siblings end up feeling left out. So much attention has to be directed on the patient. So we try to give them something to feel special again."

Mayhew's favorite part of the packages was the inspirational Scripture and reflections that Sherry tucked inside.

"She has a natural ability to uplift you," Mayhew says. "Her writing is beautiful."

Writing a journal helped Sherry get through her darkest days. From the moment she got the news about her son, she carried a notebook and pen, capturing her thoughts at the most raw and painful moments. She chronicled the medical journey, the fear of the unknown, the desperate race against time, the Scriptures she leaned on.

In August, her account was published. "Unfinished Love: Walking by Faith Through Pediatric Cancer" (VMI, $14.99) will make you cry and it will make you laugh. But her most important goal was to show how her family was transformed by the experience, and how God can use a tragic and unimaginable circumstance to bring about good.

Zach is still very much with them. They see him in the families touched by the foundation, they see him in his young friends, who set up lemonade stands to raise money for the foundation. They see him in the cardinals that come to their garden and the beautiful days when Zach played outside.

They will always have a hole in their hearts where their son went missing. They did not get the miracle they prayed for, but they are finding ways to create small miracles for other families.

"Zach got his healing somewhere else. He got it in heaven," Dirk says. "And he's still making a big impact right here on Earth."

For information on the foundation, go to www.givinghopethroughfaith.org.

The Tuckers share their story on Michelle Bearden's "Keeping the Faith" report at 9 a.m. Sunday on WFLA-TV. She can be reached at (813) 259-7613.

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