ABOUT ZAC
How could a vibrant young man with his whole life ahead of him collapse without warning? Why had this happened?
Could anything have been done to save him?
These were the questions that started it all.
Zachary Troy Schrah was born February 10, 1993 in Garland, Texas. Zac, as he would be lovingly dubbed by his family, showed his unique zest for life from a young age. From the time he was a toddler, Zac loved anything that involved being outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and sports of all kinds. As he grew older and entered high school, baseball and football became two of his biggest passions.
Zac had also begun making big plans for the future. He dreamed of becoming a physician, using his tender heart and sharp mind to help others in need.
Then one day, everything changed.
On April 2, 2009, Zac was at football practice at Plano East Senior High where he suddenly collapsed on the practice field during drills. In the blink of an eye, a seemingly healthy teenager was on the brink of death.
Later that day, Zac was pronounced dead, leaving his family and an entire community devastated with so many unanswered questions.
After his death, Zac was diagnosed with a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle. This condition made Zac more susceptible to cardiac arrest but had never been detected throughout his entire life.
Armed with this new information, Zac’s mother knew she had to do something. In June of 2009, Living for Zachary was launched with the goal of saving other young hearts from sudden cardiac arrest. Today, with over 1 million youth reached, Zac’s tragic death has turned into a legacy of lives saved in his honor.