Life at 27 is a blur for Zachary Schimmel — he doesn’t remember any of it.
The New Yorker has virtually no memories of the entirety of 2021 due to a rare brain cancer.
One of the last things he does remember is collapsing at a friend’s house in North Carolina.
While Zachary originally blamed the episode on heat exhaustion, when it happened for a second time, 911 was called and he was driven to the hospital by an ambulance, during which he experienced a seizure.
Once at the hospital, he underwent a CT scan of his brain, which revealed the tumor and he was rushed in for emergency surgery and doctors inserted a shunt – a hollow tube – to help drain excess fluid from his brain.
Soon after, he was diagnosed with an extremely rare brain cancer called pineal parenchymal tumors of intermediate differentiation (PPTID).
There are less than 100 cases of PPTID reported in scientific literature, but the recommended course of treatment is surgery to remove the mass followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy.
Zachary underwent 12 brain surgeries in one month.
Life at 27 is somewhat of a blur for Zachary Schimmel. The now 30-year-old cannot remember that entire year due to an extremely rare form of cancer that saw him have 12 brain surgeries in one month
He says that because he underwent so many procedures so close together, he doesn’t remember much of the 12 months that followed his diagnosis.
PPTID itself can also cause memory issues, which he thinks added to his amnesia.
One of his doctors at Duke University, Dr Margaret Johnson, called Zachary’s cancer the ‘rare of the rare.’
PPTID are located in the pineal region of the brain, which is a small, pinecone-shaped gland deep in the center of the brain.
Because of this, it can be difficult for surgeons to access the mass and remove it, and multiple procedures might be required.
Along with balance problems and seizures, other common symptoms include headaches, nausea and vomiting, unusual eye movements.
For PPTID, the five-year overall survival rate ranges from 39 percent to 74 percent.
Following Zach’s first surgery, he underwent an MRI, which revealed his tumor was 4cm – about the size of a walnut.
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The mass was in the center of his brain pressing on his pineal gland, which regulates sleep patterns, thirst, sex drive and hunger.
Doctors waited another day to perform a second surgery to allow some of the brain swelling to go down.
In one update posted to a Go Fund Me fundraising page set up to help with medical bills, his sister Lexxie writes three months after his shock diagnosis: ‘His body cannot do many things that we take for granted.
‘Zachary is still having vision problems and cannot speak, eat, swallow, sit, stand, walk, or even hold his head up straight on his own.
‘He is going to need intense physical therapy to re-learn how to do all of these things again.’
After spending 105 at New Hanover Hospital in Wilmington in North Carolina, Zachary was allowed home.
He was no longer with his girlfriend, so instead of moving back to the apartment he had just leased with her, he moved in with his family.
His parents and siblings helped provide him with round-the-clock care and they took it in turns to shuttle him to rehab sessions and medical appointments.
In another post dated to October 2021, his sister wrote: ‘Therapies are going well for Zach; but he is still unable to stand, walk or do much on his own.
A CT scan revealed that Zachary had a very rare type of brain cancer called pineal parenchymal tumors of intermediate differentiation (PPTID)
Zachary was declared legally blind, as the tumor had caused damage to his optic nerve due to a build up of pressure
‘Most of the day is spent in a wheelchair for Zach, but therapy works with Zach daily to rebuild his body’s strength and balance so that one day he will be able to stand, walk and just live on his own again (although that will be a far while out).’
Following numerous surgeries to fully remove the tumor, Zachary still had a long road to recovery.
He underwent more than six months of chemotherapy before being declared cancer free in April 2022.
However, the brain cancer left him blind, as the tumor had caused damage to his optic nerve due to a build up of pressure.
Today, he is learning Braille and training to become an analyst to test websites and apps to asses how user-friendly they are for people who are specially abled.
Despite his vision loss, Zachary can now walk again and has mostly recovered.
While he had a girlfriend at the time of his diagnosis, they have since broken up and Zachary now lives with his sister and her husband.
They say they ‘love’ having him as a roommate.
Commenting on his recovery his sister Lexxie, who works as a nurse, told People: ‘It’s amazing.
‘Because today, he is my brother from who he was before everything – and there was a long time when we did not think that was going to be possible.
‘To other people just diagnosed with cancer I’d want to say: It’s not the end. It will most likely change your life irrevocably, but that’s okay. It doesn’t mean it’s the end, it just means it’s a new start.’
Reflecting on his own journey, Zachary said: ‘Cancer sucks. It is miserable. Surviving cancer is the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I’ve met some of the best people as a result of it.’
