Today we are speaking with Zach Hays! Zach is 31 and from Connecticut. When he’s not in Quarantine Zach spends most of his free time in the gym or training in Jujitsu. 

 Zach lives with his girlfriend Jazmin and their two dogs Charlotte and Rexy. He is one of 5 kids and the only person in his family with CF. Although Zach’s grandmother had a brother pass away as a child of a bad cold which could have been CF years before it was known. 

Zach was diagnosed at 3 days old. As he was getting prepared to leave the hospital he threw up green bile at that point they found a blockage in my intestines which led to the discovery of CF. He basically spent the first 6 weeks of life in the hospital.

February, 2nd, 2017 Zach had a double lung transplant and has been thriving ever since. Besides enzymes when he eats he doesn’t take CF medications anymore but prior he had a laundry list. Post transplant he takes just a few pills a day. He recently received Trikafta which will hopefully help with sinus and digestive issues, but thanks to Covid-19 he hasn’t started it. Due to his immunosuppressants he has to do blood work every 2 days for the first month of trikafta to make sure his levels stay where they need to be. Obviously going to a lab 3-4x a week is not a good idea right now.

“I could probably write a novel about my life involving cf but what I’d like to say most is while you or your child may have CF and precautions must be taken it should be a part of your life but don’t let it consume your life.”

Zach played baseball at a high level until high school when his health started to go downhill. He had a G tube from 5th grade  to maintain weight. All the while partied  like a rockstar, dated like any normal teenage  20 year old. He spent 7yrs in a motorcycle club and made friends from all over all before transplant. Post transplant He’s taken up jujitsu and pre-covid spent a lot of time training at the gym.

“I was never really sad about having CF. I just kind of played the hand I was dealt or kept it to myself. This led to a handful of poor life choices but really fun experiences I don’t regret at all but would probably advise against for most people. Special shout out to my parents for putting up not only with my CF but the wild child that I was.”

Thank you Zach for sharing your story! I am sure a lot of people are feeling the Covid-19 blues and have had some memorable experiences that shaped us into the person we are today!

Zach’s Instagram: Z_TOWN_CONCRETE