LAKE CORMORANT — A 17-year-old Lake Cormorant High School football player remains critically ill at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston after an accidental exposure to the herbicide paraquat.
Zach Brown is receiving ECMO support and is being evaluated for a possible lung transplant, according to his family. His parents, Sharla and Casey Brown, have remained in Houston with him as they face the costs of an extended hospitalization far from home.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Zach and his family deal with medical expenses.
Sharla Brown is a teacher at Lake Cormorant Middle School, while Casey Brown is a firefighter with the Tunica County Fire Department. Zach’s brother, who serves in the U.S. Air Force, has also been sent to be with the family. His sisters, Hannah and Amber, are with them as well.
Zach is also a member of the Lake Cormorant football community, and friends, teammates and other community members have started a fundraiser to help the family with medical and living expenses.
The family has also addressed speculation about where the exposure occurred, saying it did not happen at school or near the school.
“There is no reason for parents or community members to be concerned about exposure from the school or surrounding farmland,” Casey Nester, the fundraiser organizer, wrote in an update.
The family also asked people not to speculate or place blame on local farmers, saying they had nothing to do with Zach’s exposure.
The GoFundMe says the family is relying heavily on prayer as Zach undergoes treatment.
“The Brown family has a deep faith in God and believes wholeheartedly in the power of prayer,” the fundraiser states.
The fundraiser is seeking donations to help the family with the financial burden of Zach’s hospitalization and treatment.
