Benefit for Zac Chapman

I've known Zac for a few years and even had his superbike SV650 after he moved on to a different bike for sprints. Zac is only 19 and is one of the most talented motorcycle racers in CMRA. He suffered a terrible crash and is now in a coma in critical condition. Zac's mom Jenny asked me to post this flyer for Zac's benefit. Unfortunately the file I got is too large to attach to the post, so below is the link to the flyer. If any of you are more tech-savvy, it would be great if you could post the actual flyer in this thread.

https://share.acrobat.com/adc/adc.do?docid=cf5e2eb2-542d-450a-be41-2d241b860f93

It would be appreciated if this thread could get a sticky until the event passes.

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Zac Chapman is a 19 year old who is madly in love with motorcycles. Zac’s passion for anything two wheeled led him to a career in motorcycle racing and a job at Family PowerSports in Weatherford, TX.

On Saturday, August 8th Zac was injured while racing his motorcycle He remains in a trauma clinic in Roanoke, VA. Because of his strong Christian Faith we have hope he will be home with us soon.

The benefit will be August 29th at Family Powersports, 1811 Fort Worth Hwy, Weatherford, TX 76086, (817) 596-3244.

Send your donation to
Zac Chapman Benefit
C/O First National Bank
PO Box 730 Weatherford, TX 76086

You can also donate directly via PayPal without incurring any fees to the following account: [email protected]

Choose "Personal" and "Gift" to make a one-time contribution without PayPal fees even if paying with a credit or debit card; the confirmation message may refer to "PC Consulting" - that's Zac's dad (Fred's) company so this WILL get to him in this time of need.

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Those of you in DFW area, please consider attending the benefit.

Please spread the word and share the flyer with other groups you are active with.

Sending Zac healing thoughts..

Yuliya

 

Hey David, fancy seeing you here Not sure if we can make it to the benefit with Enzo but will try; you can send money to Fred and Zac directly by Paypal with no fees at [email protected].

You been doing TMGP this year?

 

Updates from Zac's mom:

We are all excited that Zac is stable enough to come home to Texas. I have no doubt that he will have many people wanting to come and visit as so many of you have called, emailed, texted, written about how he is progressing. Thank you all so much for your love and prayers. Please keep it coming as this will be a long journey for us. We hope to have him back in Texas in a week or two.

Got the thumbs up from the Dr's to transport Zac back to Texas. Now,if we were only millionares and money wasn't an issue! We are looking at 2 different LTAC facilities (long term acute care) in Ft. Worth to transfer Zac to. The social worker from the hospital has provided us with 4 agencies that provide air transport-none of them for charity. As you can imagine this will not be cheap, but Zac is so worth it!!

 

Updates from Jenny, Zac's mom, from Monday night (from most recent to the older).

Midnight: Zac made it through the procedure. The drain is in place and his intracranial pressure is around 13. They want it below 20. Thanks for the prayers everyone. I'll keep you guys posted.

10:06pm: Just got off the phone with Fred, there is increased swelling in the brain and they have done a CT scan which has showed dilation of the ventricles from the last CT scan. They are taking Zac down to put back in a ventricular drain to remove excess spinal fluid. There are risks involved. If anyone is awake and reading this, please start praying for Zac.

8:31pm Please spread the word that my updates here are the most accurate. I call the nurses station directly and speak to them on every shift. It is hard for me to see the wrong information on another site. I know everyone means well, but I am getting this firsthand and not having it passed down to me by someone that may not have medical knowledge. Anyone may request to be a friend that wants info on Zac. God Bless!!!!

8:08pm I will keep everyone posted with updates here if my friend Yuliya can keep copying and pasting these to other sites. I would love to have Zac back home in Texas and close to family and friends, but if another location can meet his needs better, than another route could be taken. Please continue to pray for strength and guidance in all of the decisions that we must make in the days ahead, and complete healing for Zac.

8:03pm The facility was clean and now we know 3 people that work there. Fred spoke with a nurse case manager today in Virginia who mentioned a place in Atlanta Georgia that is well respected for spinal cord injured and traumatic brain injury patient care. I'm not sure what his thoughts are at this time other than we both want what is best for Zac.

7:59pm: Latest update on Zac is that he is about the same medically. He keeps battling a temperature that reaches 104 at its peak. His carbon dioxide levels are such that he has not met criteria for an attempt at weaning off the vent as of today. His level is too high, therefore he needs the vent to keep helping convert this into oxygen. I went to an LTAC in Ft. Worth today and was pleased.

 

UPDATED Aug. 25 2pm:

2 pm: They have been able to cut the doseage of medicine in half that they are giving him to keep his blood pressure up. His blood pressure now is 103/61. Zac is still not considered stable, but he is better than last night and earlier this morning. As you can imagine this is so scary for all of us...things can change so fast from good to not so good. Please continue in prayer that God will completely heal Zac and that he will return to us fully restored.

2pm: Just got off the phone with Zac's nurse who stated that his intracranial pressure is still below 20. Zac is still showing swelling/increased fluid in his head. The neurosurgeons looked at his CT scan and feel that the darker areas are fluid and not areas of permanent brain damage. I like their thinking!! The only way to be sure of this would be to do an MRI, but they cannot due to his vent. drain.

 

Updated, 9pm Aug. 25:

Just got off the phone with Zac's nurse and Zac is doing better. The neurosurgeon that put in his vent. drain wants Zac's pressure below 15. On this shift they have had to open it to drain 1 time because the intracranial pressure went above 15. Zac is scheduled for a CT scan at 8:00 in the morning. They will look to see if the ventricles are smaller, and if there is less fluid on the brain/in the skull.

If the 1 drain is working well, then good. If not and the ventricles still look larger than they should, they will probably have to put in a 2nd drain as they had to before. Zac's temperature is 98.9, his pupils are reacting, and his blood pressure is good without any of the medication they were having to give him to bring it up!! Whew!! (sigh of relief) Again, thank you all for your love, concern, and prayers.

 

John, let me know if you have a chance to post these to Aprilia forum or if you'd rather I sign on and post these nightly - I'll be happy to do either way.

Updates from Saturday night Aug. 29:

Well, we had a great turnout at the "Zac Attack" benefit. Thank you to everyone, especially Becky, for their hard work. Haven't had much of a change in Zac's condition from earlier today. They have seen movement in his arms and legs. There was an episode of purposeful movement in Zac's right hand last night.

Zac appears to be attempting to open his eyes. There is some eye(ball) movement that is making the neurosurgeon wonder if Zac is having small seizures, so they will be doing another EEG tomorrow. His temp was 100.4 and his intracranial pressure was good. This is stressful for a family, so please pray for peace to abound.

Updates from Friday night Aug. 28:

Zac had another good day. I found out that yesterday Zac was breathing on his own for 12 hours. Today, they have his vent setting on 2, but the nurse wasn't sure why they did not try letting Zac breath on his own completely. His temp and blood pressure are good. Zac is reacting to a pinch on his shoulder area by either turning his head or his heart rate goes up. This is new and good!!

The nurse told me tonight that they will not be putting the shunt in until around Sept. 9th. Julia and I will be flying back up labor day weekend for Zac's birthday on Sept. 7th. We are getting ready for the "Zac Attack" benefit tomorrow. Thank you to everyone involved;I know this has taken hard work. As always, thank you for your love, concerns, and prayers!! God bless you all...

 

There is a great fundraising effort to help with moving Zac down to Houston, but there is also a strong need to help his family with travel expenses to see Zac. As you know, Zac's mom and siblings are here in Texas, and it is incredibly difficult and expensive to fly up. If any of you have frequent flier miles that you could donate or use for tickets, please let me and Jenny know at your earliest convenience. If you would like to contribute to travel and hotel expenses, you can use a dedicated account for that:

American State Bank
Contact Person: Kimla
Ph.# 817-598-0045

I will help set up a dedicated Paypal account for the travel expenses. The immediate need is for about $950 for travel/hotel to reunite Jenny with Zac. Please let me know if/how you could help.

Thanks!

Yuliya

 

I got an email from Jenny, they do have a Paypal account tied to her checking that can be used. I will personally vouch that any donations will be used to offset $933 in travel expenses and future travel etc.

The email to use for Paypal donations is robertumbaugh @ att.net (delete spaces around @). If you can help in any other way with travel and accommodations, including by donating or using frequent flier miles for tickets, please contact Jenny directly to coordinate at eviltwin65 @ sbcglobal.net (delete spaces around @).

Every little bit helps. I'm a mom and I cannot imagine how incredibly hard it is to have to be away from my son in such circumstances; I hope we can help until Zac can get strong enough to return to Texas.

 

Updates from last night (Monday Aug. 31)

Just got off the phone with the evening shift nurse. She read to me some of the EEG report, but we agreed that a neurosurgoen should give their interpretation to make sure of the meaning. I can say that there were no seizure patterns present. This is not necessarily a good thing.

In a way, it would be better if Zac was having seizures, then that would explain why he isn't "coming out" of the coma more and they could give him more/different anti seizure medication that would hopefully stop them. Hope to be able to tell everyone more tomorrow about the EEG.

The vent. is at a rate of 6 and Zac is breathing 15-16. His temp. was 99.5 at its highest. The nurse did say that Zac was having movement in his legs, but not the arms tonight. He did react to a pinch in the neck/shoulder area by turning his head.

Therapy is coming in and moving his arms and legs so they don't get stiff. Of course, being a therapist myself, I can't help but do the same when I am there as well as making sure he is positioned well in the bed, etc.

I can't say thank you enough to everyone who came to the "Zac Attack" Benefit. It looks as if over $7000 was raised!! Please pray that guidance will be given in all decisions ahead, whether financial or medical. We must do what's best for Zac. Continue to pray for a complete recovery for Zac!! Love to all of you...

 

Updates Tuesday night (Sep. 1)

Just got off the phone with the evening shift nurse. Zac spiked a temp today of 103.5, but it is down to 100.8. His heart rate is higher, but she said that is not unusual with a temp. Zac hasn't been able to breathe on his own completely for a while now, but the vent is at a setting of 6 with Zac breathing 12-14.

She said that the "team" (team of dr's) wanted Zac's spinal fluid to be infection free and then they could do the shunt. His pnemonia has cleared up. Please continue in prayer for Zac that the Lord will heal him completely and restore him completely. Pray for us, the family, that we will always put Zac's needs first!!! Love and gratitude to all...

I wanted to add something I forgot. Zac has not been moving his arms like he did that one time in a while. They are seeing leg movements however. It would be wonderful if he opened his eyes and had purposeful movements. We must continue to pray!!

 

Updates from Wed. night Sep. 2

Just got off the phone with the nurse. Zac has been keeping her busy tonight. Zac had a fever that reached 105.3. They cooled him off and now it is down to 101.3. Zac vomited twice as well. After hearing that, I was a little down, but then she told me that Zac had been breathing on his own since about 12:00 or 1:00! She did say that respiratory was in his room now and might be having to make changes.

As she said, "It's one step forward and two steps back sometimes." This is an emotional roller coaster and I wouldn't be able to make it without knowing our Lord and Savior was in control and that He loves Zac even more than I do. Julia and I will be flying out early Fri. morning to go see him. Continue in prayer for Zac and the family. God Bless...

 

Thursday update:

Zac's temp was 98.8 today. He needed help from the vent to be able to breathe. They had to remove his pic line in his right arm to rule out infection. Because of this, they put an IV in his left arm.

Jenny and Julia leave bright and early tomorrow morning for VA. She hopes to use the computer at the hotel to make updates.

 

Updates from Saturday night Sep. 5:

Sitting here in the room with Zac and borrowing Alannah's laptop to give you an update. His temp is 99.5 with a fan blowing on him. The vent is set at 12 and he is not breathing any above the vent. He is having to endure the company of three women today! Poor thing, this may be overstimulation for him. Ha-ha. There is not much to report as far as changes. Keep the prayers coming for a miracle healing from God!!!!!!

The neurosurgeon has said that they may not put the shunt in now. Zac's pressures in the brain are low and there may be no need for the shunt. The team of Dr's make "grand rounds" on Tues. mornings and maybe a decision will be reached then about the shunt. If this is the case, then when Zac is stable enough, he could come to Texas to the LTAC in Ft. Worth.

The three of us (Alannah, Julia, and I) told Zac that he was pretty much a "couch potato" today, and that tomorrow he needs to show us some breathing above the vent. Today, the vent did all of his breathing for him. His temp was 99.7 when I left the hospital. Again, it seems to be a waiting game. I think it would be great if Zac does not need the shunt and he can come "home" to Texas.

Tomorrow we will celebrate Zac's birthday because we will not have time to do so on his actual birthday (Monday) because we will be flying home. Please continue in prayer for Zac. Nothing is impossible with God and I know that He loves him even more than I do!!!

 

Yesterday was Zac's birthday. Happy 20th, Zac!

Jenny's updates from Monday Sep. 7:

Julia, Alannah, and I all flew back today from Virginia. We agreed it was hard to leave, but hopefully Zac will be back in Texas soon. The latest on Zac is that he is having a hard time weaning off the vent (need for specific prayer). The longer that he is on the vent, the harder it will be weaning him off. He now has MRSA and we have to wear gowns and gloves when in his room.

He is on 3 different antibiotics for infection. The Dr's have not made a final decision about the shunt for Zac. He still has the 1 drain for excess spinal fluid which is showing low output and low intracranial pressure. They are concerned what will happen if/when that is removed. We will wait for their decision, but have told them it needs to be made as soon as possible.

If they decide he needs the shunt, then Zac has to be infection free. Many of you know that the longer you are in the hospital, the greater the risk for infection, especially if you are not up walking or moving around. This could take a while. If he does not need the shunt, then we are ready to take Zac somewhere else. At his current condition, Zac is not appropriate for the Shepherd Institute in Atlanta.

If he does not show improvement at this time, he will most likely come to the LTAC in Ft. Worth. We do pray for Zac's condition to improve to the point where he is restored completely!! Our family would like nothing more than for Zac to walk back in that hospital and tell those Dr's that he knows the Great Physician and they were wrong!!!

We pray for God's will to be done, but we do ask for full restoration for Zac. Please continue in prayer that Zac will be healed, and all the praise and glory would go to our Lord and Savior!!!

By the way, many of you wished Zac a Happy Birthday and I told him that. He has many cards on the walls of his room sending get well thoughts and a few happy birthday at this time. If any of you want to send a card, the address is: Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Zac Chapman Room 972, 1906 Belleview Ave, Roanoke, VA 24014.
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Updates from Tuesday night Sep. 8:

Spoke with Zac's dad today. He said that the neurosurgeon has decided that Zac will need the shunt and there is a possibility that he could do this by the end of this week. When the Dr. puts in the shunt, he will also put back in the piece of Zac's skull that had to be removed in the beginning due to the swelling. Zac's temp and heart rate are good. He was able to breath some over the vent last night, but not today.

If Zac could get the shunt put in soon before anything else has a chance to happen, this would be good. We pray for Zac to stay stable and to only show improvement. We pray that the surgery to put in the shunt will go well and without any complications. We pray that Zac will recover quickly from the surgery and that he can be transported to the place that is best for him at this time. We pray for everyone involved in Zac's care that they would use their skills to take care of him and provide the best care possible. We pray for God to continue to walk beside Zac as well as his family and friends. We pray for a miracle and we ask it all in the name of Jesus knowing that He can do anything!!!! Amen

Alannah has taken the time and energy to get Zac T-shirts made. I have seen the pics of them and they are awesome. They will be sold for $15.00 each. If anyone is interested let Jenny know at [email protected], I hear the first batch is going quickly!