Zachary Bach, 17, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left arm the day he learned he was selected to his high school varsity soccer team as a freshman. Bach’s treatment included a year’s worth of chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove a golf ball-sized tumor from his humerus, leaving him with limited mobility in his arm. Zach, a Richmond, Virginia native, not only returned to playing varsity soccer but also served as a referee for U12 soccer games and was also awarded the rank of Eagle Scout.

Zach’s trip to Madrid offered a rare chance to catch a La Liga match vs. Levante on April 6, 2013 and a Champions League match vs. Galatasaray on April 3, 2013. In addition to two fabulous games, Zach was invited on a special tour of Estadio Santiago Bernabéu as well as a meet and greet where he met the team and his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.

Travel and accommodation expenses for our honorees have been funded in part by a $2,000 grant from the eBay Foundation Corporate Advised Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The grant was recommended by Eileen Byrne of the eBay Foundation’s employee-volunteer led Baltimore GIVE Team.