Meet Zach

Zach is a brave, determined four-year-old from Hackney, London, who loves superheroes, Arsenal Football Club and is especially obsessed with the Power Rangers. He dreams of becoming a superhero himself - but to his family, Zach is already the real superhero.

Despite everything he has been through since his high-risk neuroblastoma diagnosis, Zach continues to show incredible strength and courage. At an age when he should be running around, starting school, pretending to score like Saka on the pitch and enjoying a normal childhood, much of his life has instead been spent in hospitals, undergoing intensive treatment and facing procedures that no child should have to endure.

Following Zach’s relapse, his family are now fundraising to help him access further treatment, and they are determined to explore every appropriate option available to him.

Zach’s diagnosis

Zach’s journey began in October 2024, when he was just two years and eight months old. He was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer.

Neuroblastoma affects around 100 children in the UK each year. For children diagnosed with high-risk disease, treatment can be long and intensive, often involving several different therapies and procedures. Even after completing frontline treatment, there remains a significant risk of the cancer returning.

Sadly, despite undergoing intensive frontline treatment, Zach’s cancer relapsed. His family are once again facing the uncertainty of further treatment and are exploring what options may be available to help him achieve remission and give him the best possible chance.

Zach’s treatment

Since his diagnosis, Zach has undergone an incredibly intensive course of treatment, including chemotherapy, MIBG therapy, a 12-hour operation to remove his tumour and immunotherapy. He has also needed numerous procedures under general anaesthetic, central line placements and replacements, feeding tubes and treatment for several complicated infections.

At one stage, Zach had to be isolated while receiving MIBG radiation therapy. Being separated from his mum at such a young age was incredibly difficult for both of them, and it was another experience that Zach had to face during his already challenging treatment journey.

His 12-hour surgery has also left him with mobility difficulties, abdominal discomfort and nausea, all of which have affected his ability to enjoy everyday activities.

After more than 18 months of intensive treatment, Zach sadly relapsed. His family are being supported by their UK medical team and are working together to best understand any potential treatment options available to him ensuring every possible avenue for further care is explored.

The impact on Zach

Cancer treatment has taken away much of the normal childhood that Zach should have been enjoying.

He doesn’t fully understand why he can't always play like other children, go to school or eat normally. Instead, he has needed to be fed through a nasogastric tube and spend long periods in hospital.

Before his diagnosis, Zach was an active little boy who loved running around and playing with his older brother. Since becoming ill, so much of his childhood has been shaped by treatment, appointments and recovery.

Yet throughout it all, Zach continues to find joy in the things he loves. His superheroes and Power Rangers remain a huge part of his world, giving him something to focus on during some of the hardest moments.

Zach beyond cancer

Zach’s family desperately want him to have the chance to experience all the things that other children take for granted - going to school, playing with friends, running around with his brother and growing up without cancer dictating his life.

His mum describes watching him fight through treatment as both heart-breaking and inspiring. Seeing her little boy face such difficult experiences has been incredibly hard, but his strength and resilience continue to give her the determination to keep fighting for him.

Zach has already had to be incredibly brave at such a young age. Now, his family want to give him every opportunity to move forward and build the future he deserves.

Why we are fundraising

Zach’s family are fundraising to help them access whatever treatment or specialist care he may need in the future.

This could include treatment costs, travel, accommodation and other expenses associated with accessing specialist treatment or clinical trials, potentially in the UK or overseas.

For Zach’s parents, this is about doing everything she can to protect her son and keep every possible option open.

No parent should have to face the possibility of their child’s cancer returning and then wonder whether they can afford to access the treatment that could help them.

Solving Kids' Cancer UK's children's fundraising campaigns

Funds raised will go towards helping Zach and his family. If Zach no longer needs the funds or is in remission seven years post the end of successful treatment, the funds will be used to support other children and families affected by neuroblastoma through our activities. For children with relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma, like Zach, the survival rate is much lower than other childhood cancers.