DUKE CENTER – Zack Murphy of Duke Center, with his parents Liz
and Tim Murphy, received special attention in Buffalo, N.Y.,
Saturday as they appeared on television station channels 4 and
7.

“It was neat,” said Liz Murphy. “They interviewed us and
everything.”

The family heard several weeks ago that their son was chosen to
go for a ride on the Goodyear Blimp, “the Spirit of
Innovation.”

Based at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport airfield,
Goodyear had partnered with Dunn Tire to bring the blimp to
Buffalo. Organizers asked the Ronald McDonald House to choose
someone special to go for the ride.

Sally Vincent, the director of Ronald McDonald House, chose
Zack, 8 1/2, because “he is an outstanding young man, and an
inspiration to the rest of us.”

A brain tumor survivor, Zack and his parents began going to
Ronald McDonald House four years ago.

“Besides a nice place to stay, and a warm bed, it offers support
and friendship,” Liz Murphy said.

For the past several years, Zack has been the number one
fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House 5K run-walk, and was
awarded the John Evans Volunteer of the Year Award.

The plan for Saturday was to give him the thrill of flying among
the clouds aboard the blimp, but the windy weather made it
impossible.

However, he was happy to be given a tour of the balloon.

“They showed me a wheel that controls the nose and a pedal that
turns it,” Zack said.

In 2003, Zack was taken to Buffalo Children’s Hospital, where a
CAT scan showed he had a brain tumor with a mass around it. After
three days of steroids to reduce the swelling, surgery was
performed. The Murphys were told the doctors had gotten all the
tumor and it was benign.

Also, they were told there was a slight possibility of the tumor
coming back. After being discharged, Zack went back to pre-school
in the morning and took therapy in the afternoon. He’s been a
resilient survivor, who still wears a brace part-time on his right
leg.

Over the years, he has been checked periodically with MRI’s. At
this point in time, the tumor is stable, and Zack is a student in
the third grade at the Otto-Eldred Elementary School.

His mother has worked for the New York State Police Lab for 18
years and his father is employed by Napa Auto Parts.

He also has a 5-year-old brother, Matthew.