There's an outpouring of support in Hernando County for two boys who are now without their parents.
An illness killed their mother in October. Then just last week a crash claimed their father.
Zachery Myers Jr., 8, is surrounded by the love and support of his family. It’s all he and his 1-year-old brother, Zane, have now after the unexpected loss of their parents.
Their mom, Jennifer Myers, passed away from a heart condition four months ago. Their father, Zachery, was killed after crashing his motorcycle in Pasco County.
The crash occurred Feb. 3 near the intersection of U.S. 19 and Little Road. The 31-year-old was critically injured when he failed to negotiate a curve and went off the road. He was thrown from the bike after his motorcycle collided with a guardrail. Myers died the next day.
The boys are now being cared for by their grandparents.
When we stopped by they were with more than dozen family members in town from the Pittsburgh area. Each shared stories of their love for the boys, and Jennifer and Zack together. They were high school sweethearts inseparable from the start.
“Whenever Zack talked about her his eyes just lit up all the time. She really made Zack into the adult he became,” said cousin Fred Kim.
Now family and friends want to make sure Zack Jr. and Zane are taken care of. They started a trust in their name and they plan to use money from GoFundMe and a series of fundraisers to pay for things their parents can’t, milestones like college, their first cars, or even weddings.
“That's all we can think about in this moment. Right now the only thing that matters is them,” Rena Kim said.
It’s a lot for an 8-year-old to deal with. It’s something he can't put into words but he'll talk about other things he loves.
“I like to drive boats, motorcycles, and play with my friends,” he said.
He also talked about how much he loves his little brother Zane.
“On a scale from 1 to 10 it would probably be 1,000,” he said.
The memories of his parents however stay with him. Zack Jr. says he has too many to count or talk about.
“I have a lot of them. I have an infinity of them,” he said.
He also has a family ready to stand by him every step of the way.
“We just want to make sure they’re going to have every opportunity they’d have if their parents were still alive,” said Fred.
If you’d like to donate to the Zack and Zane trust fund click here.
There will also be a fundraiser at Karma Cafe in Spring Hill on Feb. 20 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The address is 10511 Spring Hill Dr., Spring Hill, Florida 34608. Seventy-five percent of sales will be donated to the Zack and Zane trust fund.
