If you enjoyed the visit, please take a moment and give to the Zoo to help keep the bench beautiful! All donations are given directly to the Zoo (tax deductible) and go to help resurface and maintain the bench. Please consider giving!
Donate to keep the Bench beautiful!Zachary Rumm lived with Cystic Fibrosis, but it did not define his life. Growing up, Zach was obsessed with Australia and dreampt of going there. His favorite animal was the Duck-billed Platypus and over time, he found more and more reasons to be connected to it. The Platypus remains an anomlie in the animal kingdom because of a unique combination of features. Zach often felt that same way, having a very unique set of traits that only other Platyupi could understand.
After Zachary passed in October of 2015, friends and family gathered to celebrate his life. We all knew that there needed to be something done to memorialize Zach. Conversations were started with the wonderful people at the Columbus Zoo and the idea for the Platypus Bench was born! $4000 was raised to make the bench happen and there was only one perfect place to have it placed... Right by the Australia Exhibit!
Zachary Rumm was a friend, brother, and much more to may people in his life. He never knew a stranger and was willing to give the shirt off his back if someone else needed. What he valued most during his life was friendship. Because of how willing he was to talk to anyone, about nearly anything, he met some amazing and interesting people.
Born with Cystic Fibrosis, doctors told his mother that he wouldn't get to see his 13th birthday. Zachary took that as a dare and lived until he was 33 years old! To combat the disease, he dedicated his life to advocacy and advancing research. Every chance he had to participate in medical trials or answer questions about what life with CF is like to new and frightened parents, he took it and was an open book about his experiences.