Vancouver couple believe Lyme disease played role in son’s suicide
[CanLyme Note: Suicide is one of the most commonly reported causes of death related to Lyme disease, far ahead of heart and other problems.]
Onetime Columbia River basketball standout Zach Moritz died in 2015
Published: May 19, 2019, 6:05 AM on The Columbian
As Zach Moritz sat in the shade of the sequoia trees, he could envision the outlines of a new life.
It was July 2013, and the 25-year-old Vancouver native had just completed a vision quest with the School of Lost Borders in California’s Inyo Mountains. The vision quest, or rite of passage for young adults, meant three days of camping, fasting and self-exploration. In the previous year, Zach had begun to enjoy transcendental meditation, and saw this quest as a way to take his passion to the next level.
Afterward Zach’s father, John, and his mother, Beth, joined him for a reincorporation meeting, where quest participants shared their experiences, takeaways and thoughts about what they wanted in life….
“The Moritzes think their son contracted Lyme disease in January 2013, when Zach was playing professional basketball in Copenhagen. Zach missed a weekly Skype call and a basketball game.
Zach checked in a few days later. He said he’d been sick with the flu, and had self-treated a bump that appeared inside a rose petal tattoo on his left arm.”
