Zach Lawrence, 2017 Mtskheta Car Crash Victim, Passes Away
On March 21, 2017, American Zach Lawrence, an expert in investing and startup fundraising, Senior Director of the Ohio Tech Angel Fund, and father of two, who participated in the BIA Business Forum in Tbilisi, was seriously injured in a car accident in the Mtskheta region of Georgia. It was, as his family later stated, "a wreck that immediately claimed two lives, and will forever impact countless others."
Today, July 18 2018, Zach passed away, leaving behind a wife, two young children and extended family. As his family stated on the fundraising site: "He overcame so many obstacles and fought so hard, but in the end, the brain injuries he sustained were too much for even a tough fighter like him to recover from physically."
Following the accident, members of his family immediately came to Georgia and found Zach being kept in a medical coma in a Mtskheta hospital, with doctors fearful to move him to better equipped facilities as he fought brain and lung trauma to stay alive. Unhappy with the conditions and concerned for his health, the family asked for help to bring Zach home, and the local and global community, from loved ones to strangers, responded, as the family say, with "overwhelming kindness." Zach was stabilized and flown to Austria, where doctors prepared him for the long journey back to the United States.
"Our family and friends want to extend yet another sincere thank you to everyone out there who helped us, with your time, money, thoughts and prayers," the family posted today. "You helped us through the hardest times of our lives, and we will always be grateful."
The following message followed:
"I would like to end this with a lesson you can learn from Zach, regardless whether you knew him or not.
One day many years ago, Zach asked what I would do if someone gave me $1440 every single day, but with a catch - I had to spend it all each day and return any unused money at the end of the day if I didn't.
I thought about it for a minute, and of course said I could find a way to use it all. I would make a point to do so, just so I wouldn't waste a single dollar.
Then he asked me, "If you would do that with money, why wouldn't you do that with time? After all, there are 1440 minutes in a day."
It blew my mind. He was absolutely right. We wouldn't waste money, but we gladly waste time every day. And time is the one thing in life that we can never make or buy more of.
Zach is still teaching us lessons, as his story has helped us to understand just how precious and fleeting life is. There's no time to waste. So make sure you're spending time on the things in life that are important to you. Start now, start today. You never know what tomorrow will bring."
GEORGIA TODAY extends its condolences and best wishes to the family and friends of Zach Lawrence.
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