It's time for the annual bike, hot rod, and car show at BB's Tattoo Company in Newport, with the proceeds of the day to benefit an amazing family.

Every year, folks gather in Newport for a very special party. There are lots of motorcycles, customized vehicles, and hot rods on display. Live music rocks the parking lot at BB's Tattoo Company, on the Moosehead Trail in Newport while the Sangerville Fire Department cooks up some yummy food. Prizes will be given out for categories like Best Paint, Custom Bike, People's Choice, Bad Ass Hot Rod, and the Iron Butt Award, that's earned by the person who traveled the farthest. Registration is at 9:30 a.m. this Sunday, and the judging will be at 12:30.

At the end of the day, the proceeds are tallied up and given to a local family in need. A group of dedicated volunteers scours the region and finds one family who could really use, not only the financial help, but also the good feeling that goes with knowing the community cares about what you're going through. This year, it's going to Zack, a boy whose health journeys have taxed his family, their finances, and offered so many more challenges than one person should endure.

Zack was just 4 months old when he was diagnosed with SCID, severe combined immune deficiency. He had several surgeries, over several years, to try and correct this rare disease, and it nearly did. But, at five years old, he developed pulmonary fibrosis, caused by the chemotherapy he needed to prep for surgery. He was placed on a ventilator at 9 years old, and fought hard to get well enough for a double-lung transplant, which he received just after his 10th birthday.  But his body is rejecting the lungs, and now he's developed kidney disease. The combination makes transplants impossible. So now, he's getting a process called 'photo pherisis' that will hopefully slow down or reverse the lung rejection. If that happens, then he'll be able to get a kidney transplant, with the healthy organ donated by his Dad, who was also his bone marrow donor. Add on top of all of this, Zack has squamous cell carcinoma and has had multiple spots removed from all over his body.

Through it all, he's remained hopeful that, someday, his life will be about something other than doctors and hospitals. He loves video games and hopes to work for Nintendo. We hope so too, Zack, and wish you all the best that life can give you!

 

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