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Thoughts from Zach’s Dad on his 21st birthday – Be Like Zach Day 2026

If you’ve been following Zach’s Bridge, you will already know this, but if not…

Today, May 3rd, 2026, marks Zach’s 21st birthday and the official Be Like Zach Day in Massachusetts and the Town of Sudbury. This day honors Zach’s legacy of volunteerism, empathy, and the profound compassion he shared with the world and they shared with him and us.

To celebrate, we simply ask that you do something kind for someone else today, or any day. You can learn more about Be Like Zach Day here, and if you are inclined, please consider a $21 donation to help us support other families facing pediatric cancer.

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I’ll make you a bet.

I’ll bet you that the first thing you think of when you see the number 21 is a perfect hand in blackjack. You might also think that in most states, you have to be 21 or over to go to a casino and play blackjack. And you might think that 21 is a signal of adulthood, where you can legally drink alcohol, and almost all the rights of adulthood (save a few, car rentals – I’m looking at you) are now available.

But when I think of 21 it’s definitely not a winning hand, and it’s not about anyone passing any milestones into adulthood. My hand is blank. Let’s see if I can get to 21. Right now my hand is largely blank.

Today, May 3rd, 2026 is Zach’s 21st birthday but he’s not here to celebrate with us. That’s what I think about. I think about all the things that he never got to do, and all the things that he will never get to do. I also think of 5. This is our fifth birthday without him. That feels like a lot, and it’s more than a quarter of the years he was actually alive.

I get stuck on the fact that he never drove a car, never graduated from high school, never had the opportunity to go to college or have a real paying job. And now I’m stuck on the fact that he was never able to enter a casino, have a legal sip of alcohol, get to vote, or move forward into adulthood. He never had the chance to have a real relationship, and get married and perhaps have kids, if he wanted any of those things. But the dealer has dealt me a 5. 5 birthdays without him.

He was on the way up, starting to really make friends and learn how to face and overcome his social and emotional challenges – but there were still cards in his deck that made getting a hand of 21 feel a bit unlikely. And while he exemplifies resilience, we never truly saw the extent of his ability to address and overcome his social and emotional makeup.

But Zach and this journey has left us with countless memories of wonderful joyful moments of childhood, parenthood, and even inside of cancer. Of course it left us with countless memories of pain, fear, anger, sadness, isolation and change. But Zach also left us with a guide, a way to move forward, not just for Jenn and me but for all of us.

Those of course, are Zach’s Rules for Life. And there are 13 of them. So that gets us to 18. I don’t need to show you the whole hand, and you can see them all for yourself, but there are a few most people haven’t seen.

Rule 7: Sing if you want to sing

I am going to do what I want and need to be as happy as I can. I am going to throw myself into Zach’s Bridge to try to help other people going through what we did. What others think just doesn’t matter.

Rule 6: Say please

The world needs kindness – now, more than ever.

Today is Zach’s Birthday. He would have been 21. The world is missing out on him and he is missing out on the world. But that doesn’t mean he should be forgotten, and some of what made him, well, him. So we created this day to share him, his rules, and to try to inspire anyone and everyone to be kind, give back and help others. Massachusetts has made it an official day for 2026 and in our hometown of Sudbury, every May 3rd will be Be Like Zach Day from here on in.

Can you Be Like Zach Today, or any day? If you are doing something kind, we’d love to know about it. And if you want to honor Zach and support Zach’s Bridge with a donation of $21, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate Be Like Zach Day.

That number, 21, brings me back to the gambling and blackjack and back to my bet. I am not a gambler. I am not very impulsive. I am almost always guided by reason and logic. But Zach was impulsive, very impulsive. Many (ok, most) of his decisions were guided by emotion – logic and reason weren’t even remotely part of the equation.

Conventional wisdom says you should hold on 18 in blackjack. He definitely would have hit on 18 to try to get 21.Today’s that day. I’m gonna Be Like Zach. I’m gonna get that card and see what happens. I’m gonna channel him.

It may work, and it may not. I’ll deal with whatever happens. I mean what more could happen? I don’t think the world could throw anything else at me that could be worse than losing him to cancer.

“Dealer, Hit Me. Please.” (See what I did there?) Screw it. This one is for you buddy. I love you, miss you, and I cannot think of anything better to do today or any day to Be Like Zach and go for it.

Happy Birthday Zacharoo. Keep Moving Forward.

Help us Honor Zach and Make an Impact

Zach was his own unique person, and today, or any day, is the perfect day to remember him. It’s an even better day to think about how he always volunteered. It’s the perfect day to think about his sense of compassion and empathy and how that was delivered back to him repeatedly by friends, family and people we’ve never met.

It’s the perfect day to do something kind for someone else. It’s the perfect day to help families facing the unimaginable from pediatric cancer.

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