Updates

Hello from the beach! I have limited access to the inter-web, but I got this update from Anna yesterday so I wanted to update everyone:

'Zach moved safely back to Hopkins today. They did a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to measure his intracranial pressure and it was 18 out of 20. 20 is the cutoff for normal so he was on the very high side of normal. They will put in a catheter into his lower spine tomorrow so that they can constantly measure his pressure. They will measure his pressure over the next few days and then release the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). After releasing the CSF, they will see if Zach is more responsive. From there, they will decide whether a shunt is needed.

I spoke at a Take Back the Streets rally on Saturday and it went well. My speech can be found at keiffermitchell.com and also at on baltimoresun.com.

Amy, a long-time friend of ours (she grew up on the same street as us) came in from Florida to visit because she and Zach share the same birthday, August 23. We went to the Hospital on Saturday so she could give Zach his birthday presents and then we celebrated Amy and Zach's birthdays with bowling and beer! About 30 of us went duckpin bowling for Zach because that's what we did for Zach's birthday last year and it was a ton of fun. My new best friend, Josh, brought his video camera so we were able to get good footage of everyone having a great time in honor of Zach and share the video with him soon.

Also, if you live in the Southeastern District (Patterson Park, Highlandtown, Canton, Butchers Hill, Brewers Hill, Fells Point, etc), please attend the Southeastern Police Community meetings, held the first Monday of every month. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 4 (because of Labor Day) at 5710 Eastern Avenue. Please visit the site for more info. It is important that we all attend these meetings so we can help the police and they can help us. If you don't live in the Southeastern District, I'm sure you can google your community meetings and ATTEND.

Lastly, Zach's colleagues are organizing a fundraiser on Thursday, Sept. 6 in Charles Village. The event will be held from 5-9 p.m. at various bars and restaurants in the Charles Village area. When I get more info, I will definitely post on the site.'

Zach is scheduled to get the shunt procedure on Thursday. The surgery should only take about an hour. They began draining out his fluid last Thursday and Friday and saw no major changes in his neurological activity but everyone is hoping that the shunt will lead to an improvement. When they put in the catheter to monitor his pressure this past Tuesday, they saw that his pressure was never abnormally high. Zach's doctor has already told us that we won't see improvements overnight. It will most likely be weeks and/or months. Zach's doctor also examined his MRI very closely and said it doesn't look all that devastating so there is definitely still a lot of hope that his neurons will rewire and Zach will come back to us. It is actually somewhat perplexing that Zach isn't more responsive given his MRI results. So, we just have to hope, pray and stay positive that his body is just taking its time recovering and that he will wake up.

More Zach Sowers t-shirts and hats are available. As stated earlier, sizes S, M, L, XL and XXL were ordered. The t-shirts and hats will be sold in Baltimore at 2910 on the Square, which is an awesome store in the Canton Square (near Helen's Garden). The shirts and hats will be sold in Frederick too, but we are still figuring out the location(s). Please only purchase the t-shirts using check (made out to the Zach Sowers Support Fund) or cash. If you are interested in selling t-shirts and hats at your venue, please contact Anna via the 'email us' form in the upper right hand corner of the page.

Thank you to Firestones, Jennifers, and Bushwallers in Frederick for being the first three official participants of the Sept. 30 Frederick's Neighbors' Night Out. Also, Anna is still waiting to collect checks from a handful of restaurants from the Baltimore event. As soon as she gets the remaining few, the total amount raised will be posted on the site.

Lastly, please VOTE on TUESDAY, SEPT 11th for our next mayor, city councilperson and city council president.

Tonight -- JHU-JHH Neighbors & Friends Night Out: A Fundraiser for Zach Sowers

Zach’s colleagues have organized a fundraiser at the former Rocky Run in Charles Village. Bert's Eats & Drink at 3105 St. Paul Street (formerly Rocky Run) has agreed to be the area sponsor by donating 20% of food sales (only food sales!!), and there are lots of ways planned to help out Zach & Anna as well as enjoy the friendships that encourage us to support each other in the kinds of challenges Zach & Anna currently are facing. It will be an evening of hope, friendship and fun. There will also be a 50/50 drawing and drawings for a lot of door prizes.

You can get more details on the event at this website and find out who is selling tickets at most of our JH locations.

Also, Zach's surgery is today and we all wish the best of luck! I'll make sure to update everyone tomorrow morning on his progress.

Zach did not have surgery yesterday. They were waiting for his urine sample to come back since he had a urinary track infection (UTI) a few days ago and they don't want to operate until his infection is completely cleared. His urine came back with bacteria still so they need to wait a little bit longer. They treated the UTI with antibiotics that turned out to not be strong enough. So they had to give him a stronger dose of antibiotics. This extra precaution before surgery is to prevent infection from getting into his bloodstream and into his brain. The neurosurgeon is waiting to get a blessing from Infectious Disease that there is no more bacteria in his urine and that it is totally OK to operate.

The operation is now expected to happen on Monday or Tuesday. Keep your fingers crossed. Because they are waiting another few days for the surgery, they are going to take out the catheter that is currently in his back, which is measuring and relieving the fluid/pressure to prevent meningitis. They also have Zach on Ritalin as a brain stimulant.

Anna told me the fundraiser at Bert's last night was great. She saw a lot of Zach's colleagues from Hopkins. Everybody was so supportive, plus there were so many prizes to raffle, and they were good prizes, too. The fundraiser last night raised $3,360.00 just from the raffle and the 50/50! This does not include the t-shirt sales and the 20% from Bert's on food sales. The check they gave Anna was even a pug-themed check!

We'd like to thank Atlantic Printworks for printing more Zach Sowers t-shirts and Logolize It for printing Zach Sowers baseball caps (we only have 50 hats but can always order more). Again, the hats and t-shirts are being sold at 2910 on the Square in Canton. They will be sold in Frederick too we're still working out the logistics of that. Stay tuned!

Zach had his shunt surgery on Monday (yesterday) morning. Everything went as expected with no complications. The shunt was placed on the right side of his brain as doctors deem this the 'safer' side to preserve language and other more important cognitive functions that are located on the left side of the brain. The surgery itself took about an hour and a half, but with the prep time and recovery time, it all took about 4 hours.

Kim, Zach's mom, spent the whole day with him and Anna went over to Hopkins as soon as Zach came out of the recovery room. The doctors said that it looked like there was definitely some build up of pressure. Zach also had a head CT and a belly x-ray yesterday to make sure everything was in its proper place and it all looks fine. He will remain at Hopkins for a few days until doctors are sure his shunt is fine and that there is no infection (one of the main complications is infection). After Hopkins, he will move back to Kernan to begin rehab therapy again.

There was originally some question about performing the surgery, but anything the doctors could do to improve Zach's responsiveness would be worth the effort. So now we will all wait, hope, pray and watch for a drop in pressure and hopefully begin to show some improvement for Zach.

Zach was transferred from Hopkins to Kernan yesterday, but the move was pretty traumatic. He vomited when the ambulance crew moved him from his bed to the stretcher, and then again many times during the ride to Kernan.

His doctor at Kernan said he was completely washed out and looked very sick. The Kernan staff looked after Zach and took care of him until things calmed down. They emptied out everything from his stomach to prevent further vomiting, gave him some anti-nausea medicine and kept him on his side so that he didn't aspirate. His doctor considered sending him to Kernan's ICU or possibly the nearest ER, but luckily the medicine helped and he was looking better.

Anna left Kernan at 9 p.m. since she wasn't allowed to spend the night but will be back today to spend the day with him. Zach will get a head CT and belly x-ray today as a baseline and to see if it was the shunt that made him so sick or something else. They also took a blood and urine sample for testing because he had a fever and high heart rate.

Hopefully everything gets better soon and Zach can start his rehab again.

Zach has stabilized from all the vomiting that occurred during his transfer from Hopkins to Kernan. He is back on his tube feed and tolerating it well, and his vital signs all look normal. They drew blood and urine cultures on Sunday, which showed that he tested positive for a bacterial infection called Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE), a highly resistant strain of bacteria. He had to be moved from his room to a private room so that he doesn't infect any other patients. Zach is not showing any symptoms of infection and his doctor will determine the best treatment on Monday.

Zach's trail date, which was originally set for Oct. 15, will most likely be postponed. Updates will be provided soon as to the new date. Also, if you would like to help with the trial and have not done so already, please write a letter to the judge, care of the prosecutor on Zach's case, stating how this crime has affected you so that appropriate sentencing can be handed down. Click How Can I Help for more info.

Also, Zach Sowers t-shirts and hats are being sold at 2910 on the Square in the Canton Square in Baltimore and Firestone's, located at 109 N. Market St in Frederick, Maryland.

Don't forget to attend Frederick's Neighbors' Night out on Sunday, Sept. 30. Check for all participating restaurants.

Zach is still stable, there is no major improvement to talk about and the doctors are still monitoring his progress week by week. Doctors are changing him from Ritalin to another neurological stimulant called Strattera to see if that arouses him more. Let's hope this change will result in some forward progress with Zach's rehabilitation.

I saw Zach the other day at Kernan and when Anna was in Michigan. I walked in and his eyes were wide open. His head was shaved and I could clearly see the stitches on top of his head and the shunt they put in a few weeks ago. After telling him all my secrets, I sat there and thought about how much I missed my friend talking back to me. It was nice though to have some alone time and talk to my buddy about everything and nothing. I hope you come back to us soon Zach.

Just a reminder that Sunday is Neighbors' Night Out in Frederick. Please come out and show your support for Zach and his family. Click here for a a complete list of restaurants participating in Frederick. T-Shirts are still available at Firestone's Market (that's the store right next to Firestone's restaurant). Hope to see everyone out!

Hey, you know that site all them crazy youngins are talking about these days? That's right...MySpace. Well Zach has his very own events page at MySpace.com/zachsowersevents. Check it out and add him as your friend.

Here is an update from Anna:

'Frederick's Neighbor's Nigh Out was another success. Our family would like to thank all of the sponsors as well as the Frederick 'Street Team' that put this event together. We'd also like to thank the Frederick Adult Co-Ed Kickball Association for donating $1,000 to Zach's fund. And lastly, we'd like to thank all those that came out to support the fundraiser! The bars and restaurants that I went to were packed and there was a sea of black, Zach Sowers t-shirts in Firestone's. The best part was seeing people I didn't know in Zach t-shirts.

This weekend's fundraiser was filled with lots of friends and family. We had family drive out from Ohio to attend the Frederick event so it was nice for them to meet all those who love us in good old, Frederick, MD. The event was almost like a quasi-high school reunion, which was great. I saw old friends that I had classes with, went to senior week with, went to parties with and skipped classes with, all eating and drinking in honor of Zach.

It was great to see how childhood friends that you played Jailbreak with every day but occasionally kept in touch with for the past 10+ years can band together immediately and help out a friend in need. Through this tragic ordeal, I have met tons of new friends that support Zach and our families as well as reconnected with old friends that have never lost their place in my heart. I know that we would not be able to handle this if it weren't for all the support from friends and family, not just in Maryland, but all over the U.S. and abroad. It’s friends and family that keep our spirits high and do what they can to offer their love and support.

Thank you so much to Betsy, Sarah and Erin for organizing the event and to everyone else who I didn't email with every day but I know helped make the fundraiser a success. Thank you Dave Evans for flyer-ing the entire town (I saw a flyer at the car wash when I was waiting in line on Saturday). And I'd like to congratulate Betsy and myself for doing hot yoga for the first time at Sol Yoga (a sponsor) and making it through the entire class, even though we didn't know any of the poses. That one session completely changed my perception of yoga. I highly recommend it, especially to all those who thought yoga was boring, like me.

Also, Baltimore's Neighbors' Night Out raised about $13,000. We can't wait to see what Frederick raised. Regardless, the support that poured in for both events made both equally successful.

Zach has been stable until Friday night, when he started vomiting what looked like coffee grounds, which is usually an indication of blood. They tested it and it was positive for blood so he was sent to the Hopkins ER for further testing. The GI doctor flushed liquid in through his feeding tube opening and then drew it back out to see if there was any blood while his was in the ER. Luckily there wasn't any more blood during his tests. But Zach does have blood in his stool so he is loosing blood somewhere in his GI tract. It's such a small amount now (after doing repeated blood tests) that although they are concerned, it's nothing overly dangerous. Doctors will continue to monitor him and follow his progress.

After they take care of his bleeding problem, Zach will remain at Hopkins in their chronic care facility since Kernan and insurance both agree that Zach hasn't shown enough signs of improvement to remain in Kernan's rehab problem. Although this isn't news we want to hear, a formidable battle with the insurance company is not something Anna wants to pursue now and she will focus time and energy on making sure Hopkins provides the proper rehabilitation and treatment for Zach. He will still get rehab at Hopkins, just not 3 hours a day.

An interview with WBAL Radio AM 1090 will run next week (Monday through Wednesday) during the Ron Smith Show. Ron has talked about Zach's case since it happened. His show starts at 3 p.m. The first segment should be running on Monday at 4:15 p.m. Also, if you missed our childhood friend, Erin Sprague, on TV promoting Frederick's Neighbors' Night Out, check her out and click 'Watch' in the upper right hand corner. As always, thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

The trial on October 15th has been postponed until Friday, December 7th, at 2 PM. I will keep you updated if anything changes.