Ohio State baseball player passes at age 21

After spending a few moments on the Twitter page of Ohio State baseball player Zach Farmer just now, I can tell you a few things about him. He loved Dirty Frank’s hot dogs. He loved baseball. He loved his wife. And he had many, many, many friends.

Family, friends, fans and supporters of the OSU pitcher are in mourning today with his passing. Farmer was diagnosed in 2014 with acute myeloid leukemia. Just a few months ago, his doctors pronounced him cancer-free. But a few short weeks ago, he learned that his cancer had returned.

There would be moments of joy in Zach’s final weeks. Days after his diagnosis, he and Kelsie (his girlfriend of four years) were married. Kelsie then arranged for one of Zach’s favorite baseball players, Randy Johnson, to call the Ohio State athlete to wish him well. In that conversation, Johnson promised to wave to Zach at the conclusion of his upcoming Hall-of-Fame induction speech. But Johnson did one better. As Zach watched on television just a few days ago, he listened to the newly-minted Hall of Famer talk about him, saying the name “Zach Farmer” on stage in Cooperstown. Farmer said being acknowledged in that way, in that setting by one of his heroes brought him to tears.

And now…a hero to many himself,…Zach Farmer is gone. He was 21 years old.

Zach Farmer had launched an effort to encourage people to join the bone marrow registry. For more information, check out his website.

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