Jaci Zemenchik
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Jaci age 3
Jaci's Story
Written by Stacey Crumbo
Jaci Zemenchik has been a fighter since the day she was born. Eleven weeks premature and weighing 3 pounds 6 ounces at birth, Jaci was soon able to go home after just a few weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. Her loving parents, Kira and Rob, felt fortunate to have such a beautiful and healthy baby girl.
At home with her family, Jaci enjoyed her young vibrant life -playing "house" with her older sister Jenna, being pushed by Mom on her favorite swing in her backyard, and helping Dad plant flowers in the garden. Kira and Rob happily watched their daughter grow and develop into a curious and energetic little girl.
When Jaci was 2 years old, her parents became increasingly concerned of a recurrent sore throat and labored breathing she had developed. She was taken to the hospital where a CT scan showed Jaci had a mass in her chest. A biopsy of the mass revealed a benign tumor called a neurofibroma which had engulfed her lungs, trachea, heart , and even extended to the base of her skull. Jaci's parents soon learned that this tumor, although benign, was slowly and discretely killing their precious daughter. Shocked and bewildered, they listened to medical specialists as they tried to explain Jaci's life-threatening disease and limited yet controversial treatment options. Just the other day they had taken Jaci to the zoo, and now they were faced with the nightmare every parent fears of possibly losing their child.
Many trials soon beset little Jaci. She was placed on a ventilator after her already weakened lung collapsed from the biopsy. Because of damage by the tumor, a stent was then placed in her left mainstem bronchus to open up her airway. Jaci was finally breathing on her own when she suddenly and inexplicably went into a coma-like state for three days, which was later determined to be caused by withdrawal from pain medicine.
Three weeks later, on September 20, 2002, Jaci underwent a 9 1/2 hour surgery to remove the tumor. As Kira waited through those long hours, she thought about the many concerned friends and family members from around the world who had set aside a special day to pray and fast for Jaci prior to her surgery. The prayers of the faithful were answered that day as the surgeons miraculously and successfully removed 99% of the tumor from Jaci's fragile body.
However, Jaci's struggle for her life was far from over. As a result of the damage to her trachea, Jaci had to have a tracheostomy so she could breathe. She also had to be fed through a tube inserted into her stomach. Her vocal cords were now paralyzed, so she could no longer speak. Her body was so weakened by her illness and prolonged hours of bed rest that Jaci required many days of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Thanksgiving had come and gone. Her parents wondered if they would ever be able to take Jaci home again.
Kira and Rob were impressed by the determination of their little girl to survive and overcome. On December 23, 2002, just two days before Christmas, Jaci walked out of the hospital and went home. After four endless months of hospitalization, the best present Kira and Rob could have received was to have their daughter home for Christmas. And the best gifts Jaci received that Christmas weren't ones that could be wrapped and placed under a tree. What she enjoyed most of all on that cold frosty day was being pushed by Mom on her favorite swing in her backyard, admiring the dirt and dried up flowers in the garden with Dad, and running around with her sister Jenna.
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Jenna & Jaci
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Jaci riding Casper
- Email Jaci's Mom Kira Zemenchik
