Zak Connor

My name is Zachery Connor. I am a Christian husband, father and friend to some. I truly believe that God meant it when he said he wanted to be the Lord of our life. He wants to be involved in all aspects of our life. He does not want to be called on just when times are bad (cancer) and forgotten when times are good. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I moved to California shortly after two years of

college. I went to San Francisco for a vacation, decided I liked it, got a job and moved.

So, speaking of good times, I met my wife Sharon in Oakland California at church in 1985. We were in a Bible study class and together we have four children: Denean, Lonnie, Tiffany and Gabriel. We also have four wonderful Grandchildren. In 2002 we moved to Greenville, SC Sharon’s hometown, to start a church. I pastored that church up until the time of my diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with cancer in October of 2023. I had been having headaches off and on for a while. I did not think too much about them. One evening my wife insisted we go to the emergency room. As men we can be hardheaded when it comes to our health. After taking several tests, the doctor walked in and in a very nonchalant manner said, “we found a mass on your skull”. He sent me to two other

doctors, one of them an ENT specialist. The ENT doctor informed me that he would be able to remove the mass. This surgery put me in the hospital for a week.

I was sent to an oncologist and radiologist. The oncologist informed me that she wanted to do more tests. I got a call from the oncologist at 9:45 the following Saturday morning. She informed me that the cancer was in other parts of my body and the reason my hip was hurting is because the cancer had eaten my right hip. I met with an orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday morning. On my way home, I got a call from his office asking me to return to the hospital because they needed to perform surgery right away. He said that the cancer had already eaten my hip to the point if I hit my brakes too hard my right hip would shatter. In May of 2024, I was in the hospital for just under a month for the bone marrow

transplant.

I look back over my life, and I realize that even before I became a Christian, God was watching and preparing me for the challenges set before me. We all have bumps on the road of life. The bumps we conquer today prepare us for any hills that may be ahead of us. In my case, cancer. God has blessed me with doctors that I trust, a wife that is willing to stand toe to toe with me as we conquer any challenge that comes our way. Also, with support teams like C3 and others that lets me know I am not alone.