American Mtskheta Car Crash Victim, a Year On
One year ago today, 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."
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. He spent time in a special recuperation facility and is still now receiving full-time support.
On the anniversary of his accident, his family posted this message to the followers of the fundraiser:
"We can never thank you enough for your help, kindness, and generosity. It is not an exaggeration to say that you helped us save Zach’s life. We love you forever for your kindness.
Once home at Ohio State hospitals, Zach continued to defy the odds. He woke up for the first time in late May, and since then has been working through a variety of rehabilitation and therapy treatments. He’s also been fighting off infections he contracted in the Republic of Georgia. He finally beat all of those infections in December.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since the accident. Zach is with us and still fighting, but as time passes, it seems less likely that the Zach we all knew and loved will ever come back to us. In spite of that, we still find reasons to be grateful.
The first is that there is so much kindness in the world. We’ve been overwhelmed by how much love and support people have shown our family, and we can never thank you enough. So yes, terrible things happen, but there are still so many amazing and beautiful people in the world that are out there spreading a message of love.
The second thing we’re grateful for is the time and memories we shared with Zach. He was an amazing husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. He made all of our lives better.
He loved his family and friends fiercely, and would do anything to help them. He was passionate about his work, and the impact it could have on others. And he believed in helping others to make the world a better place.
We dearly miss the Zach we knew and loved, but he lives on. As long as we remember him and continue to be inspired by him, he’ll live forever. And there are still lessons to learn from him, even now.
Like how short and precious life is. So please stop and take a moment to appreciate all the family and friends you have, and tell them how much you love them.
Make a point to value experiences with people you love, rather than things or possessions. Because experiences are priceless, and someday you’ll be grateful you had them.
And last but not least, take joy in the small things. Be grateful for every moment you’re alive, and try to count all the blessings you have in your life.
We’d like to close this out with a message to Zach, and then another message to everyone else.
To Zach - we love you forever. We miss you so much, and nothing is the same without you. We are truly lucky for every second we got to spend together, and are grateful you are still in our lives.
To everyone else - thank you for all your help, support, and kindness. We love you, and can never thank you enough."
By Katie Ruth Davies
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