Michele Endress
INSPIRATIONAL AGENT
STORY BY DAVE DANIELSON | PHOTOS BY SHAWNA MCDUFFIE, PEAK RES
Moving Forward with a Purpose
For each of us, it’s not always easy to move forward each day. Especially when something sad and challenging has happened in life.
Michele Endress is a REALTOR® with Keller Williams who has experienced that painful truth firsthand when her grandson, Zane passed away.
The pain that she and her family endured when her grandson Zane Parker passed goes beyond words. Yet in the days, weeks and months after that dreadful time, she found herself walking to the small piggybank that she had set aside through time. Just like she had so many times before, Michele found herself still making her way over and dropping change into the bank.
“I knew there was something I needed to do in his honor, I just didn’t know what. Zane was always full of life, squeals, and laughter, and he was the most precious little baby,” Michele remembers. “He was always happy and gaining a personality along with all the other milestones expected from a baby his age. Unfortunately, his precious, innocent life was tragically taken from us July 28, 2017. He was almost seven months old.”
A Cause of Remembrance and Care
Sadly, Zane passed in what Michele calls a tragic, preventable and unimaginable accident when he was just a few days shy of being seven months old.
“People, please don’t forget your babies in the back seats of your car. According to researchers at ASU, in 100 degree weather, temperatures can reach up to 143 degrees in a vehicle in less than an hour. Unfortunately, Zane was one of 43 children who died of vehicular heatstroke in the US in 2017,” Michele says. “This is totally 100% preventable. Whatever you have to do to 'remember' that child in the back seat, do it. I don’t want anyone to have to experience what my family, especially my son, experienced that tragic day. It has taken a long time for us to deal with it, to not be bitter, and to forgive.”
Michele thought about what her son, Zac, experienced when the family lost Zane and the amazing support he received from those he met along his own journey to sobriety through time and what his fellowship with others truly did for him.
“I decided I would help save lives in honor of Zane’s life. A treatment scholarship helped save Zac’s life and he was able to be present and to be a wonderful daddy during Zane’s short life,” she says. “Zac had chosen the name Zane for his son, because he felt Zane was a gift.”
As Michele remembers, she and her family experienced fear, sorrow, and blame during Zac’s active addiction.
“He struggled for several years before getting sober, and the financial burden is real. We were so grateful we had insurance to cover a majority of his treatment costs, and his last inpatient treatment stay was offered to him via a scholarship.”
As Michele says, Zac had a wonderful support group of guys that knew he was worth it and felt he deserved a life of sobriety. They went above and beyond to help him get sober.
“Unfortunately, self-worth and the belief that they deserve a life of sobriety evades many addicts. They suffer from shame and guilt,” Michele explains. “They need to believe they deserve a happy, sober life and they are truly worth it. Compassion, no judgment, and unwavering support are vital in recovery. No one has ever said they wanted to be an addict when they grow up. No one.”
Rising Above
Today, Zac is nearly seven years sober. As Michele says with pride, despite the unimaginable loss he suffered, he continued to stay strong and sober with grace, dignity and patience.
“He has worked hard to get where he is and has surrounded himself with like-minded friends and family. He has received many blessings and he is a blessing to others. He has excelled at work and is a wonderful husband to his wife, Savannah, and a dedicated daddy to two amazing little girls, Abigail, age three, and Madelyn, 18 months, and another one on the way. He is an example and an inspiration, and not a casualty,” Michele says. “I want other addicts and alcoholics to see there is hope. I want other parents to see there is hope and to never give up on their son or daughter. I want to help those who feel helpless and to show them, through my son’s example, and many other success stories, there is hope for tomorrow.”
Michele has committed to donating a percentage of her commissions from her real estate business to help provide scholarships to those who need help.
“The cost of treatment is very expensive, even with insurance. For those facilities that are self-pay, they can require as much as $20,000 just to walk through the door. If you find it in your heart to donate to this nonprofit, Zane’s Foundation, and help those in need of addiction treatment, we thank you,” she says with a smile. “Our mission is to focus on making the maximum positive effort for our community. Our supporters and partners provide the momentum that helps us affect change. Our treatment center partners provide the best treatment modalities and solutions that make a long-lasting and life-changing difference.”
For more information or to get involved, see www.Zanes-Foundation.org
