Why The Zach Pack Runs for Hope

Why The Zach Pack Runs for Hope

My son, Zach, struggled with addiction for nearly two decades before passing away at the age of 38.

When I first found out Zach was smoking marijuana, I remember thinking, Surely this is just a phase that will stop before anyone finds out. I thought that because I caught him and confronted him, he would stop. But he didn't.

I tried sending him to several rehab facilities, hoping the programs would help end his struggle. And while there were seasons of sobriety, addiction still had a grip on my son. The heartbreaking reality of relapse felt like a punch in the gut every single time.

But I was still praying. I loved Jesus. I knew He loved me, and I knew He loved Zach. Yet my hope was often in people and programs instead of in Him. I experienced anxiety like never before. I beat myself up, questioning my parenting. I felt completely alone, even though I had a supportive husband, a big family, and a loving church family.

I worked so hard trying to control and fix Zach — spending money and obsessing over his choices, his friends, and where he was every minute — that I didn't allow myself to enjoy the blessings in my life, my family, or my marriage.

It was during this season that I found Finding Hope.

I started attending Zoom meetings twice a week, and in my very first meeting, I realized how much I needed recovery for me. I needed to know I wasn't alone. I needed to know it wasn't my fault. And I needed to know — and truly believe — that there was hope, real hope, no matter what choices Zach made.

God brought me to Finding Hope and the support I so desperately needed. Through those meetings, I learned practical ways to heal and care for myself. I learned what enabling was — and what it wasn't. I gained tools to help me navigate a journey I never dreamed I'd be on. I heard stories from other parents of children battling addiction, and together we supported one another and grew in our own recovery.

Run for Hope means so much to me and my family because we know the impact of addiction. We know the heartbreak of losing someone you love to this devastating disease, and we know how important it is for families to have support.

Run for Hope raises awareness, and more than that, it raises the funds needed to continue this ministry of hope. For the past two years, my family and many friends have joined our team, The Zach Pack. We've laughed together, and we've cried together.

Our hope is to make a difference in the lives of others who are walking the same road, and we hope you’ll join us in August to do just that at Hope is Alive’s 2026 Run for Hope.

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In Hope,
Shelley Hudson, Finding Hope Leader & Board Member