AUBURN, Maine — The Edward Little High School community is grieving tonight, two weeks after senior Zach Johnson graduated.
Zach died just a few days ago, after a three-year battle with cancer.
Friends and family say his journey was “Zach Strong,” as he was determined to graduate and hoped to become a police officer.
He made it to graduation in his wheelchair, with the Auburn Police Department giving him a police escort.
“He didn’t give up, there was no, ‘I can’t do something because I have cancer,’ no, ‘I can’t do this because it returned,’ no, ‘I can’t do this because I’ve lost the ability to use my legs.’ Never, ever did he ever say, ‘I can’t do’ something,” says Scott Annear, incoming high school principal of Edward Little High School.
“It was never about the cancer, it was never about his illness, never about what he was going through. It was always about being in school, doing school, moving forward, what were my goals,” says Jim Miller, outgoing principal of Edward Little High School.
Zach twice received the Courage Award at Edward Little High School, an award that will now be named in his honor.