Help for Zac: Church fundraiser assists boy's family with medical expenses
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SPECIAL | HPE Four-year-old Zac Snider, born without arms and knee joints, can operate a video game joystick with his feet.
What’s different about Zac is that he was born with no arms – his hands protrude from where his shoulders are – nor with knee joints.
The condition stems from a rare genetic disorder called TAR syndrome – short for thrombocytopenia and absent radius. Thrombocytopenia means low platelets in the blood, and absent radius refers to the missing forearm bones that are characteristic of the disorder.
“He’s able to walk with a walker now, and he uses his (power) wheelchair,” says Zac’s mom, LeAnn Snider. “We’ve also moved (from Archdale) to Lexington, and he has much better access in this home.”
As he has grown, Zac has learned to use his feet in some instances to compensate for not having arms. For example, a feature article in the Enterprise three years ago told how Zac, then only 8 months old, could play his toy xylophone by grabbing the mallet with his toes.
Today, it’s the joystick of his video games.
“He has a video game that he can play with his brother (Cai),” Snider says. “He plays with his leg braces off and moves the joystick with his feet.”
Zac continues to progress developmentally. He hasn’t required any major surgeries recently, though he may need surgery soon for his right ankle, which turns outward at a severe angle.
“We go back for a checkup in August, and we’ll find out then,” Snider says.
In the meantime, the Sniders’ church – Mount Zion Wesleyan in Thomasville – continues to support the family financially to assist with ongoing expenses.
On Saturday morning, for example, the men of the church will sponsor a pancake breakfast fundraiser for the family, with plates selling for $5 apiece. Donations will also be taken, and live entertainment will be provided by the Barry Ball Singers.
For more information, contact the church at 472-4239.
jtomlin@hpe.com | 888-3579
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