Zach Brown, Family Celebrate 1 Year of Recovery

In October 2011, Zach Brown and his family sat helplessly as doctors contemplated whether the then-10 year old had a brain tumor or hemorrhage.

Weeks passed, and after learning that Zach suffered from a cavernous hemangioma—a hemorrhage that can cause seizures, strokes and debilitating headaches—he and his family underwent months of uncertainty, fear, pain and therapy.

However, since last fall, the Brown family is back to living life as usual—. Zach is still at risk of a "rebleed," but he’s able to walk, play and go to school with his peers. The hemorrhage has left Zach without the use of the right side of his face, but it’s no sweat, he said.

“It’s really not the end of the world for me,” he said. “[The hemorrhage] is not a roadblock. It’s just like they made me turn. It’s just a different path,” he said in a March interview with Patch. “I got more out of it than it took out of me.”

Zach’s mother, Tracy Brown, compiled a celebratory video of her son's story and his progress since the initial diagnosis.

Do you know Zach Brown? Send him a congratulatory message in the comments!