School goes 'Zeke Strong'

When the news first circulated throughout the school, many said it was hard to believe. But when it was confirmed that Minneota eighth-grader Ezequiel "Zeke" Monzon was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, it was even harder to accept.
"I fought back tears when I heard it at school," said English teacher Kelsea Anderson, who was teaching Zeke's classmates when she first heard the unfortunate information.
So Anderson decided it was best to put the lessons for that day on hold and instead had her class write inspirational cards for Monzon, the son of Julio and Nyomie Monzon of Ghent.
"Then I found out it was his birthday the next day," said Anderson. "That made it even harder."
During the time spent writing out cards, Zeke's classmate Peyton Gillund came up with the #Zekestrong hashtag. When Mrs. Anderson saw that, the compassionate teacher thought it might be a good thing to put on shirts. 
"I gave the class the contact information to Borch's (Sporting Goods in Marshall) so they could print shirts for a fundraiser," she said. "I know how expensive it can be for a family. I sent the link to all the teachers and then it just spread after that."
The deadline for "#ZEKESTRONG — His Fight is My Fight" shirt sales were initially set for May 12, but because of popular demand, sales were extended for another week.
During the public school's spring band and choir concert last Thursday, band director John Voit requested that Zeke come down from the stands and the band performed "A Gathering of Eagles" in his honor. It was an extremely emotional time for many of those in attendance.
Zeke is a member of the percussion in the junior high band, but because of his illness, wasn't feeling well enough to play at the concert.
"We knew Zeke was going to be at the concert, so we asked the kids to wear their (ZEKESTRONG) shirts," said Voit. "And we sent out an email to the parents with the link to Borch's in case they wanted to order a shirt."
Zeke was also presented with a bag that contained a "prayer shawl" from St. Edward's.
"Margrit Rabaey contacted me and said they had this shawl to give to Zeke," Voit explained. "And seven members of the junior high band go to school at St. Edward's, so they all know him." A note included with the scarf explained that when the person wraps up in the shawl, they are surrounded with prayers.
"We were so happy and excited to see that the school was doing this for our family," said Nyomie. "We are very, very grateful for all the love and support."
Zeke is trying to stay strong every day and is overwhelmed by all the love and support he has been getting.
"I was happy that they played a song dedicated to me," said Zeke from his hospital bed in Sioux Falls on Sunday. "And when Mr. Voit gave me the bag, I was just touched and grateful for everyone that supported me. And I am grateful for all the help from family and friends. God bless everyone."
Zeke also plays football and wrestles at Minneota. And he plays drums at his church in Ghent; Ministerio Rayo de Luz (Ministry Ray of Light).
"He enjoys playing drums for God," said his mother. "He hasn't played for like a month and he can't wait to be able to play this weekend at church when he has no treatment."
While Monzon was in the Sioux Falls Hospital over his birthday, Anderson had her class Facetime him to offer words of encouragement.
The cards made by his classmates were delivered to Zeke in his hospital room by a cousin, who is also a classmate.

He spent his 14th birthday on May 7 in a hospital bed with several family members. The staff at Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls did their best to make the day a little more special.
"They ordered him a cake from Dairy Queen and also gave him a gift card," said his mother. "And they let us have a small get-together with family and friends in the conference room. It was nice. They made him feel awesome."

Something wasn't right
Last December, Zeke's parents noticed he had a few lumps on his neck and took him to the hospital to have him checked out.
"They treated him with antibiotics, but they never went away," said Nyomie Monzon. "With time, the lumps got bigger. But I think like anyone, you don't ever think it is anything serious, especially if you are not in the medical field."
Over the last week of April and into the beginning of May, the Monzons noticed their son was more fatigued than usual and had developed a cough that would come and go. He also would wake up at night sweating and had some difficulty breathing.
"So we made him an appointment for May 2 at the Marshall Hospital," his mother noted.
Following a CT scan there, Zeke was sent to Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls.  A biopsy was taken on May 3, but another was needed on May 8.
"We finally got the results on May 9 that he has Stage 2 Class A Hodgkin's Lymphoma with Bulky Disease," Nyomie told. "Bulky Disease is from the tumors that he has on his chest that were so big that it caused him the pain and trouble breathing."
Zeke is currently undergoing chemotherapy at Sanford Children's and possibly will need radiation depending on how he responds after two rounds of chemotherapy.
"His first treatment the first time didn't go too well," said Nyomie. "His body rejected one of the meds. He had some nausea, but that was expected."
So the family returned to Sioux Falls this past weekend to try another type of medicine to replace the one his body rejected.
"We were able to go home on Sunday (May 19)," Nyomie said.

News was tough to take
As expected, Zeke and his family were devastated by the news.
"Zeke took the news just as bad as my husband and I did when they first told us in Marshall that it looked like cancer," Nyomie said. "The word 'cancer' can scare just about anyone and make you think the worst."
"(Zeke) cried for about an hour and I cried with him, but we had to be strong and be there with him. The first thing I told him after we heard it might be cancer was 'Don't worry, it will be okay. God will help us through this. You believe in your heart that He will help and be with us every step of the way'. And Zeke said 'okay'."
Zeke missed a week of school when he became ill in December, and a few days since that time. He has now been out of school since May 2.
"We were able to go home on May 13 and he went to school for a little while on Wednesday (May 15)," said Nyomie. "But he got sick on Thursday morning and didn't go to school."

Strong-faith family
The Monzons have two daughters; Jacqueline, 16; and Ruth, 10; and one son, Jeremiah ("JJ"), 19.
Nyomie was born in Texas, and Julio was born in Guatemala. He moved to the United States in 1997 and became a United States citizen in 2017.
"We both moved to Minneota around the same time in 2000," she said. "We met in 2001 and got married in 2002."
Nyomie works at HyVee in Marshall, but took a medical leave in order to care for her son. Julio began working a construction job about a month and a half ago.
"Because I am not working right now, (Julio) has had to keep working," Nyomie said. "Friends and neighbors have also been so helpful. We live in a great town. Ghent neighbors are wonderful and so caring."

The family is comforted by their strong faith.
"God has blessed us in many ways even in tough times," said Nyomie. "God is great and powerful, and all of our trust is in Him."
"Things happen in our lives for a purpose. And only He knows what the plans are for each of us."
Zeke feels the overwhelming amount of support he and his family have received is helping him remain positive during his fight.
"The support I get makes me feel loved and grateful," he said. "God also helps me stay positive and happy. The people He puts in my life are the ones He knows will help me through this."