Zachary Sunderlik, “Zack”
Zachary was born on May 29, 1996. He
entered the world with a very serious bacteria infection (Strep
B), which resulted in bacterial meningidious. As a consequence
of the serious infection, Zachary was diagnosed with a moderate-serious
form of Cerebral Palsy at nine months of age.
Despite the physical limitations Zachary
may experience, he strives to live life to the fullest. Rather
than sit back and watch his cousins play baseball or soccer,
Zachary would rather be where the action is - - batting or kicking
the ball around with a little help, of course. His family makes
every effort to support his quest to experience the same liberties
and enjoyments that any typical ten-year old would desire. Even
though these activities challenge his physical ability, Zachary
continues to hold the confidence it takes to participate.
One of the positive experiences in
Zachary’s life is his participation in Conductive Education
(CE). CE provides Zachary the confidence to believe in himself,
and strive for his definition of ‘independence.’
Independence is not only the ability to walk; it is the ability
to believe in yourself.
Zachary not only is a beautiful person
on the outside, he is equally beautiful on the inside. He has
the ability to think, dream and believe. His difficulty comes
with the ability to express his thoughts and dreams. To communicate,
Zachary uses various signs and sounds.
As noted above, Zack loves everything
to do with sports and physical play. Soccer is his favorite
ball game, although baseball is a close second. He loves to
hit the ball and make his little brother, Jake, chase it. His
one true love is swimming. The water helps Zack defeat gravity
to an extent and allows him to move much more freely. Rarely
can we get Zack out of the pool before the teeth are chattering
and the lips are blue. And he still gets upset when he is forced
to come out. He gets over it, though, with a nice warm towel
and a hug from mom.
Keep Believing, We Do…….
David, Dawn, Zachary, Jacob and Olivia Sunderlik
