Zachary Snetiker

Written by Zachary’s family

On June 29, 2016, Zachary Snetiker entered the world one minute after his twin brother Matthew, bringing with him an infectious joy and a heart full of love. His bond with Matthew was unbreakable, a connection that could only be shared between identical twins. Whether playing games, making jokes, or simply being together, they were always inseparable. Later, when his little sister Aria came along, Zachary showed an outpouring of love and affection for her, always making sure she was protected and happy.

Zachary had a passion for vehicles, especially emergency and construction trucks, loved dogs, rainbows, superheroes, baking and music. He enjoyed playing board games and hide-and-seek, drawing and doing art projects, reading and learning, and watching movies like “Cars” and “Elf.” More than anything, Zachary loved being with his family. He cherished his parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and no matter where he was, he found comfort in our love.

Zachary adored celebrating all the holidays and going on family vacations (to places like Los Angeles, the Bahamas, Mexico, the Poconos and the Jersey Shore). He also loved his Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World, where meeting the characters filled him with pure joy. Zachary was smart, creative, funny, patient, gentle, silly and brave, and his ear-to-ear smile lit up every room he entered.

A Heartbreaking Diagnosis
For months, Zachary had been struggling with persistent vomiting. Doctors initially diagnosed him with a gastrointestinal disease called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) in the summer of 2023, but the symptoms continued. In January 2024, we took him to the emergency room after he began experiencing headaches, difficulty walking, slurred speech, and worsening handwriting and eye crossing. A CT scan revealed extreme hydrocephalus, and Zachary underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure in his brain.

On January 17, 2024, Zachary was diagnosed with DIPG — a disease we had never even heard of before that moment. The devastation was immediate, but like so many families facing this unimaginable reality, we had no choice but to fight for every possible moment with our son.

A Journey of Strength and Resilience
Zachary’s battle with DIPG was relentless. He endured three brain surgeries, including one that required him to stay in the hospital for three weeks, intubated for over a week. He courageously faced 30 rounds of radiation at Columbia in NYC, and when his tumor grew back in the fall of 2024, he underwent an additional 10 rounds of re-irradiation. His fight took him to CHOP in Philadelphia for a clinical trial, where he endured dozens of hospital visits, countless blood draws, IVs, MRIs, and hundreds of swallowed pills.

Through it all, Zachary remained brave, kind hearted, and full of light. There were days when he was exhausted, frustrated, and sad, but he still managed to smile, laugh, and follow every instruction given to him by us and his medical team. He showed unimaginable strength, adapting to each new challenge with the same resilient spirit that had defined him long before his diagnosis.

Fighting for a Cure
During Zachary’s fight, we found guidance from and comfort in the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation, an organization whose mission aligns deeply with our own journey. As University of Michigan alumni (Go Blue!) and with Zachary’s middle name being Arbor (in honor of Ann Arbor), the connection feels especially meaningful.

We are family partners with ChadTough and share Zachary’s story because his life mattered, and because no other family should have to endure this pain. DIPG stole the future Zachary should have had—the birthdays and holidays, the family trips, the games with Matthew and Aria, and the adventures that were never meant to end.

We mourn who Zachary was as well as who he never got the chance to become. We fight for a future where DIPG is no longer a death sentence. We need more research, more treatments, and one day — a cure. Because no child should ever have to suffer as Zachary did. And no family should ever have to say goodbye too soon.