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Lyons students rally for classmate undergoing lung replacement

Zack Briggs

Zack Briggs, a 2007 Lyons High School graduate is battling Cystic Fibrosis…but he is not battling alone.

Take the Penny "War" that took place at Lyons High School last week. Students in grades 7-12 battled to be the class who raised the most money for Zack's much needed lung transplant.

The "Penny War" works like this: For every penny donated to their jar, the class receives one point, for every silver coin (nickel, dime, quarter) the class must lose 5, 10 or 25 points based on the coin. This means that another class' strategy might be to put as many silver coins as possible into another class' jar. It also means that more money is raised, as the competition heats up.

According to Ms. Maryanne Whyte, a teacher at Lyons, the "war" began on Monday (1/28) and by Thursday the donations had already totalled almost $1,000. On Friday morning, she was astonished by the number of students rushing in to place more coins in the respective class jars. When the event finished at noon, the students had brought in another $1,358.50 raising a total of $2150.50. The money was presented to Betsy Briggs, Zach's step-mom and a Lyons School District bus driver.

"They all want to be the class who donates the most…and at the same time it is pulling classmates together and creating a whole school cohesiveness. All for Zack! I can't believe what's happening at Lyons MS/HS. The kids generosity is giving me goose bumps," said Whyte.

Zach has been down in Pittsburgh, PA, since Monday waiting for a lung transplant. According to Zach's step-brother, Dan Scherbyn, who also graduated last year, Zach's Dad, Dennis Briggs has not left his son's side. The wait for a lung transplant could stretch to anywhere from two to three months, with a three week recovery and five months of careful monitoring in Pittsburgh.

The money will be used to offset some of the everyday expenses the family is incurring awaiting a donor. Dennis Briggs is the head mechanic at Mack's Body Shop in Lyons.

Cystic Fibrosis is a hereditary disease that affects mainly the lungs and digestive system, causing progressive disability. Zach has been suffering with the disease since birth.