Our Story

In the fall of 2019, my husband Zach started feeling unwell and unlike himself. We chalked it up to having a newborn who hated sleep but unfortunately, that was not the case. After a long journey of hospital visits, testing and continued decline, Zach was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in the soft tissue of his stomach. Ewing Sarcoma is typically a pediatric bone cancer which is rare in itself, however, Zach was 1 of 7 reported cases at the time to have this cancer found in soft tissue and being 26 years old, well out of pediatric range.

As our journey continued, we had many highs and lows as you could imagine but one thing that endured was the community who rallied behind us. Zach went in for major surgery in February of 2020 to remove the mass that was growing in his stomach, which was successful but resulted in removing 90% of his stomach, 40% of his pancreas and his entire spleen. This was a huge shock to us and Zach had a long road to recovery. The next huge shock was COVID a month later…

To try and lift Zach’s spirit and raise funds for all the medical debt we had accrued, I planned and hosted a small 5k outside my parents’ home. It was a huge success and we were able to raise a few thousand dollars for ourselves and to donate to The Sarcoma Foundation. Since then, we have continued on the tradition of our Zach’s Pack 5k each Fall and our community has continued to grow, show up and support us through all that cancer has put us through.

Zach lost his battle in April 2024 at the age of 31. While we have a huge hole in our hearts, continuing this tradition brings us joy, knowing our love for him endures. We continue hosting our 5k in his memory and plan to expand to other fundraising events as well.

Our goal each year is to raise money not only for the Sarcoma Foundation to support further research of this rare disease but also to help those struggling with the difficulties of cancer.

We hope to see you there and deeply appreciate all your love and support!

- Katie Hoover