Faith in Action
Little Zane Everett and Family Not Alone in Battle With Cancer as School, Parish Offer Prayers and Support

By Eileen Dugan
The Sooner Catholic

YUKON — Zane Everett’s family knows from experience that the benefits of a Catholic education are not limited to the classroom. Those steeped in the values taught in Catholic schools reach out from those classrooms into the community. The Everetts know this firsthand because the people of Saint John Nepomuk School and parish in Yukon have reached out to them.

The close-knit Everett family has two children enrolled at Saint John Nepomuk School, nine-year-old Cole and six-year-old Zane. Mother Heidi, father Jeff, big brother Cole, and little sister Lilly are all concerned because first-grader Zane is battling cancer.

“Last year, Zane Everett was the fastest runner and the highest scorer on the Saint John’s kindergarten soccer team, the Falcons,” said Amy Walters, a Saint John Nepomuk School parent and family friend.

This year, as Zane looks forward to joining Mrs. Jeanne Mennes’ first-grade class at Saint John’s, he is running a race against cancer—again.

Zane was two when he was first diagnosed and treated for non-Hodgkin’s large cell lymphoma. He had been in remission for three years. Then, in May, his arm started hurting. His family took him to OU Medical Center. Tests found two tumors, one on his shoulder, the other on his breastbone.

The Everetts had hoped that a bone-marrow transplant would be possible. But the search for a donor within the Everett family proved fruitless; neither Cole nor Lilly was an exact match. But the Everetts did not give up hope. Encouraged by the prayers of the Saint John Nepomuk community, the Everetts decided to check the National Bone-Marrow Registry. Their tenacity paid off. Not one but four donors were located.

In July, in preparation for his transplant, Zane and his mother traveled to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, for a medical procedure involving the patient’s own stem cells. Mother and son lived at the Ronald McDonald House during their two-week stay as Zane’s stem cells were harvested. Zane will need to return to Cook Hospital in August for further procedures.

At that time, Cole will remain with his grandparents in Yukon, attending school, while Heidi, Jeff, Zane, and Lilly travel to Fort Worth.

“The first week, Zane will be treated with chemo and radiation at the hospital, his mother Heidi said. “Then, to boost his system, they will put back his own stem cells, which were harvested on his first visit to Fort Worth. He will then spend 35-40 days in isolation at a special room at the hospital. The rest of us will stay at the Ronald McDonald House.

 “After that, Zane will receive another week of chemo and radiation and will be given donor stem cells from donated cord blood (stem cells from donated placentas from live-born babies, not embryos). He will spend another 35-40 days in isolation at the hospital. We will need to scrub [like doctor’s before surgery] and wear masks when we visit him,” Heidi said.

This second, much longer, stay in Fort Worth will present some problems not faced by the family the first time around. When Zane revisits Fort Worth in August, his Mom, who is a realtor, will need to take more time off from work than she did previously. His dad will also need to take time off from his job with the state. And although the Everetts pay a discounted fee of $15-a-day for the rest of the family to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, the longer the Everetts stay in Fort Worth the greater their financial burden. Their insurance pays for all Zane’s medical treatments, but they must pay for all their food, incidentals, transportation, and shelter. And the $15 a day for shelter for the rest of the family will increase if Zane’s treatment takes longer than three months.

 “The Ronald McDonald House has a 90-day maximum stay so if Zane needs to stay in Forth Worth for more than that, it will cost us at least $50 a day to stay in a hotel,” Heidi said.

 To help Zane’s family meet these mounting expenses, anyone who wishes can contribute to the Zane Everett Fund that has been set up at the Oklahoma Employees Credit Union.

Zane’s family will also benefit from two fundraisers sponsored by Saint John Nepomuk School. Right now, the school is selling light blue school-spirit T-shirts. Each shirt has the image of a falcon, Saint John’s mascot, emblazoned on the front, complete with the word, “Falcon”. The shirts cost $15 for youth and $16 for adults.  Five dollars from the sale of each T-shirt will benefit the Everetts, Diane Floyd, principal of Saint John Nepomuk School, said.  

Principal Floyd added that Saint John’s, together with the local Sonic restaurant, will sponsor a Zane Everett Day this fall after school starts. On an as-yet-undisclosed date, Saint John Nepomuk School parents, students, and friends will work as carhops at the Yukon Sonic. They will deliver orders out to the cars and accept money for the meals. The carhops hope everyone will be extra generous with tips on Zane Everett Day because all tips that day will go directly to the Everetts.

There have been other outpourings of compassion and concern for the Everetts. During the weekend of July 14-16, a garage sale was held in Oklahoma City for the Everetts’ benefit.

To help Zane with blood transfusions, 43 units of blood were donated in his name at the Saint John Nepomuk Knights of Columbus semi-annual blood drive held at the church’s activity center on July 23rd.

“The Oklahoma Blood Institute gives you credit for every unit of blood given in your name. Those credits are applied to your own blood usage. You get them at a discounted rate,” a thankful Heidi Everett said.

Heidi”s employer, Century 21 Gold Castle is selling bracelets for Zane. The wristbands come in two sizes-adult and youth. They cost $5 each, with the Everetts benefiting from all sales.

“At first, we did not know what to write on the bracelets,” Heidi said. “We went to Mass that Sunday and noticed how much Zane enjoyed singing the song ‘On Eagles Wings’. We decided the words ‘On Eagles Wings’ would be perfect to put on the bracelets.”

The green-and-yellow soft, plastic bracelets have Zane’s name and the words “On Eagles’ Wings” written on the outside. Inside, are printed the words, “Peace Be with You”.

To view the bracelet, follow Zane Everett’s progress, or read the rest of his family’s Internet journal, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/zaneeverett.  To contribute to the Zane Everett Fund, contact the Oklahoma Employees’ Credit Union, P.O. Box 24027, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73124. The account number is 3741800.

Your prayers for Zane would also be appreciated. Join your prayers with those of his family and friends who hope and pray that Zane will soon be back playing soccer and working hard in Mrs. Mennes’ first-grade class at Saint John Nepomuk School.