Scholarship Honors a Young Man Who Fought for a Normal Life

Phyllis Bassin and her son Zachary at his bar mitzvah

Leslie Bates

In the fall of 2019, Phyllis Bassin established the Zachary Alexander Bassin Memorial Scholarship in honor of her beloved son, a Marist student who loved his family, his friends, and all things sports and who lived life on his terms despite severe medical challenges.

Zachary, who was born with cystic fibrosis, battled medical obstacles his entire life. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 21. The scholarship will continue Zack’s legacy in a meaningful way by helping future Marist students pursue their interests and achieve their dreams in the field of sports communication, which was his passion.

From an early age Zack loved sports and was a natural athlete. When he grew too short of breath to play his favorite sports, he became an avid fan—memorizing stats for virtually every sport. Eventually, he developed a love for golf, a sport he could play regardless of diminished lung function.

“The friends he made at Marist freshman year saw him as Zack, not a kid toting an oxygen tank,” wrote Phyllis in her eulogy for her son. “That meant so much to him.”

Dan Ketterer met Zack in middle school, and the two attended high school and Marist together. “He was an extremely loyal and caring friend,” says Dan, a 2017 alumnus. “He was always there to talk and listen to people when they had problems, despite how insignificant they were compared to what he was facing.”

Zack had a very forward-looking perspective about his future career and personal goals, Dan says. “He never complained about the cards he was dealt and attacked each challenge with confidence that he would come out on top, and he always did.”

“I know I will be battling my health constantly for the rest of my life,” Zack wrote in his blog. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t find joy in the things I do.”

Zack was determined to pursue a career in sports communication. At Marist, he realized his dream of an internship in sports communication at Madison Square Garden. There he received accolades from colleagues and MSG management alike.

While at Marist, Zack earned his dream internship in sports communication at Madison Square Garden.

While at Marist, Zack earned his dream internship in sports communication at Madison Square Garden.

His positive attitude and his courage inspired many who met him. In 2017 Zack was featured in a series called “For the Record” in the Marist Circle, the student news outlet, which highlighted students with compelling stories.

Zack received a double-lung transplant in 2015, later developing post-transplant lymphoma. He passed away in 2017 following chronic rejection of the transplant.

More than 100 of his classmates from Marist and North Salem High School attended funeral services for him. In her eulogy, Phyllis asked Zack’s many friends to keep his memory alive by sharing their stories. She cherishes the Facebook posts from his friends and e-mails from MSG staff that showed her the enormous impact he had on others’ lives.

“The last thing I can do for him as his mother is to pay tribute to his courageous fight to live and ask you to be inspired by his ability to battle every adversity that came his way. Despite his short lifetime, Zachary made his mark and touched the life of so many people with his story.”

Zachary Bassin’s blog can be found at scarredforlife.wixsite.com/scarredforlife. His music can be found by searching on SoundCloud for artist Zack Bassin. Photos: Courtesy Phyllis Bassin