Kimberly Kane's Statement

I cannot attest to how Mandy’s feels about her relationship with Zak, I can only attest to what I saw and how I felt during the 7 years I was their close friend. Here are a few memories I have during my time with Zak and Mandy.

To give my story context, I have known Zak and Mandy for over a decade and spent 7 of those years seeing them almost every day. I played D&D with them and appeared on their internet series ‘I Hit It With My Axe.’ I traveled with them, I made movies, content and art about them/with them. When I was considering a new car I went with an SUV because it was easier to fit Mandy’s wheelchair in the back. When my little cousin needed a place to live when she moved to LA she rented a room from Zak and Mandy. I wrote an article entitled ‘Zak loves Mandy’ featured in Vice Magazine along with the photo of Mandy’s medical history tattooed on Zak’s arm.

Looking back at that time I can say they were high functioning codependents. Hanging out with them was like hanging out with twins. They were always together, they read the same books, played the same games and shared the same lovers. I was not one of their lovers, just saying that for context.

Zak can be an offensive person which makes him hard to defend. He’s pissed off a lot of people in the rpg world as I have now learned. He is also a textbook exhibitionist which can also throw off people who are used to social norms. I can say the same about Mandy, they complimented each other in many aspects and she was the matriarch of their world.

In 2009 I told Zak to break up with Mandy…

Zak had rented a limo for Mandy’s birthday and I was invited to come along for her big birthday excursions. Zak blindfolded Mandy and Jennifer so it would be a big reveal when the car pulled up at Disneyland. Jennifer and Mandy were dressed like fairy princesses and security almost didn’t let them in. Apparently adults can’t just show up in handmade fairy costumes. Zak talked to security and we were able to get into the park. We went on a bunch of rides and it was a really great birthday.

At the end of the night we all piled back into the limo and by this time Mandy was drunk. We were all chatting and Zak said something about the color of the limo. I’m not sure what Mandy thought he said but she punched him in the face. I was shocked because he just put all this effort into pulling together an awesome birthday party for her and she assaulted him. Even though this was completely out of the ordinary for her I was really upset.

The next day I called Zak and I told him he shouldn’t put up with that shit. 

Mandy never had health insurance. This was before the Affordable Care Act and no insurance company would touch her. Zak paid cash for doctors appointments, medication, ER visits and hospital stays. At one point when Mandy couldn’t get a serious treatment in the states Zak relocated with her to Canada so she could get the medical care she needed.

This is a breakup story. This is a complex decade long relationship tell-all crammed into one Facebook post and a blog update. It has gotten nasty, twisted and regrettable. Does Mandy have the right to reflect on her past with regret? Hell yes she does. Do we all wish we could change our narrative to suit the life we are trying leading now, to be redeemed? Yes, we do.

I will say this, I witnessed a relationship that had a lot of moving parts, lovers, friends, illness and codependency but not one of dark chronic abuse. I believe Zak and Mandy are two very complicated and highly intelligent individuals who were equally matched more than anyone I have ever met and I wish them both peace and health in their lives.

-Kimberly Kane

Kimberly backed this up with the signed legal statement in the previous entry.