Book was ‘crash course in grieving'
Book was ‘crash course in grieving'

By Ron Jackson Comments 0
Published: September 22, 2007

STILLWATER — Zachary Moore touched countless lives prior to his death last year at age 3 from the rare aging diseases progeria.

More Info

‘Old at Age 3: The Story of Zachary Moore'

•WHERE TO BUY: Online at www.oldatage3.com or select retail locations listed at the book's Web site

•AUTHOR: Zachary's father, Keith Moore

•COST: $16.95

•LENGTH: 200 pages

•PROCEEDS: 25 percent benefits the Progeria Research Foundation

Now his story will carry on where he left off.

Keith Moore, Zachary's father, recently wrote a new book titled "Old at Age 3: The Story of Zachary Moore.” The 200-page book offers an intimate glimpse of a father's journey in the face of his son's fatal disease. Moore writes about "what a real adventure it is for a parent to be there for their child's first breath and last breath,” adding with profound simplicity, "This is a story of my adventures with Zachary between those two breaths.

"Zachary touched so many lives in such a positive way while he was alive,” said Moore, an environmental scientist from Stillwater. "This is our way of keeping Zachary story's alive.”

Zachary, dubbed "Boss” by those who loved him most, died Jan. 23, 2006, at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa. At the time, he was one of only 11 children in the United States stricken with the disease.

"I told Zachary in the end, ‘If you see Jesus, go to him and don't be scared, and we'll see you soon,'” said Molly Moore, his mother. "Zachary died a short time later.”

Keith Moore stuffed the book with life-changing moments, emphasizing how his family never gave up hope and how they savored every day of Zachary's life. Numerous passages in the book were drawn from a journal Moore kept during the last year and a half of his son's life.

"We'd be at Wal-Mart, and I'd see this rough, gruff guy walk up to Zachary,” Keith Moore said. "I'd think, ‘Oh, what now?' And this person would just melt in front of Zachary, and really open up his heart. This happened all the time.

"That's when I began to realize how special Zachary was to people.”

Keith weeded through countless family memories to quilt together his story, receiving input from his four other children: Lindsay, 15; Courtney, 11; Derek, 10; and Heidi, 3.

Molly Moore, meanwhile, aggressively tackled the business end with the creation of a publishing company appropriately titled Boss Publishing and by ensuring the book will appear in many major book stores throughout the nation. In doing so, she put her own promotional product company on hold.

"Zachary made us so proud of him while he was alive,” Molly said. "Now it's our turn to make him proud of us. This story is for him.”

Flood of memories

The book came with another price tag of sorts.

Sifting through the memories of Zachary's life was often emotionally draining for the Moores.

The couple began to work on the book only two weeks after their son's death.

"That was hard,” Molly Moore said.

"Keith would write something beautiful and hand it to me, and I'd just start crying. ... We were recalling special moments that will forever remain with us. I like to call it a crash course in grieving. ...

"But it's all been worth it for us.”