1 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an army of normal folks. 2 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: And we continue with part two of our conversation with 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: Enrique right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. 4 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 2: I truly believe had we not came to Saint Jude, 5 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,919 Speaker 2: we wouldn't have anything past that date. You know, Ariana 6 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,880 Speaker 2: came here. We got here August second, two thousand and nine. 7 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 2: She had a second brain surgery August tenth, and then 8 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 2: she started treatment. She had four months or she had 9 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 2: thirty one radiation treatments. She had a month break, four 10 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 2: months of high dose chemotherapy with stem cell Transplantee. 11 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: Assume this is after removing the tumor. 12 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so you know, fast forward, she does her 13 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 2: treatment radiation treatments for high dose chemotherapies March thirty, first 14 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 2: of twenty ten. 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, what does you said? High dose chemotherapy? What 16 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: does that do to a three year old? 17 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 2: It's tough, bet, it was seven days. 18 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 1: What you need? You know? The problem is we get 19 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: desensitized to the word chemotherapy. We are so used to 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: people having cancer and hearing about radiation and chemotherapy, and 21 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: let's face it, people live and die with cancer all day, 22 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: every day around our world. And we've got brans cancer 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: awareness and all this other stuff, which is great. But 24 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: the problem is, I think we talk about it so 25 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: routinely we get desensitized to just how devastating it is. 26 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: And so I'm thinking about a three year old taking 27 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: what you're calling high dose chemotherapy. I don't want to 28 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: get to grow. And I wondered, brother, I would do 29 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: nothing but honor your daughter's life. But tell us what 30 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: that looks like and feels like from a parent's point 31 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: of view. 32 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 2: Uh, I mean, it's it's tough. You know, it's your 33 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 2: your three year old, and she's lost weight. You know, 34 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 2: you don't see it at the moment. I think it's 35 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 2: crazy now for us to like look back at pictures 36 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 2: and see like how skinny she truly was. But you know, 37 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 2: her treatment was again, it was the high dose chemo. 38 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 2: Was her getting slammed with different a cocktail of different 39 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 2: chemo therapies for five days straight here in the Chili'scare Center, 40 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 2: and she'd get a day break and then the seventh 41 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 2: day they'd give her her stem cells back because you 42 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 2: had to resuscitate her body. And that was the only 43 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 2: way to do it. But I mean the chemo was 44 00:02:56,919 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 2: so toxic that anytime we were around her, we always 45 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 2: had to work her gloves. I mean when she peeded, 46 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 2: it burned her. When she peeded, it. 47 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: Was which means she was crying and she was in pain. Yeah, 48 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 1: and you can't even touch your child with your bare hands. 49 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 2: No, you're not supposed to. But you know, as a 50 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: parent you don't care. 51 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: But still, Yeah, the point is, I mean we hear, Okay, 52 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: how does chemotherapy. We're talking about a three year old 53 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: child who's in pain, sad, scared, burns when she peas, 54 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: and parents just pleading for their daughter to recover. It's 55 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: it's horrific. 56 00:03:47,400 --> 00:04:00,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know, she goes through the treatment and 57 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 2: March thirty, first of twenty ten, she's declared cancer free, 58 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 2: which was something we never expected to hear. Cancer free, 59 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 2: cancer free. 60 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: Literally it's out of her body. 61 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 2: She's beat it. So now we're moving. 62 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: To and she's four now or almos about. 63 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: To be four. So she turns. For a week after 64 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 2: April eighth, we were on her make a. 65 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: Wish pretty nice birthday present. 66 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 2: For her fourth birthday, we were on her make a 67 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 2: wish trip at Disney World, and that was the goal 68 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: right through treatment. That was the goal to get her 69 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 2: to her make a wish on her birthday so she 70 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 2: could go to Disney. She wanted to spend her birthday 71 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 2: at Cinderella's Castle. That's what she would always say. And so, yeah, 72 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 2: so she beats it. We try and get our life 73 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:50,359 Speaker 2: back on track, back to normal. You know, I go 74 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 2: back to work in the Navy. In the Navy, we 75 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 2: stayed here and I didn't have to worry about anything, 76 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 2: and even the Millington base they gave me that year 77 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 2: off anyway, So I got a whole year off to 78 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 2: just worry about Ariana. I didn't go back to work 79 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 2: to after her make a wish. And but anyway, so 80 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: Ariana's cancer free March three, first, twenty ten, we go 81 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 2: on her make a wish. Unfortunately, in July of twenty 82 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 2: and eleven is when the relapse comes. So if the diagnose, 83 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 2: if the prognosis and the diagnosis was grim the first 84 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 2: time around, it's even worse the second time around. So 85 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 2: at that point, now we're looking at the possibility as 86 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: that it's a genetic disposition and she can't fight off 87 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 2: that cancer. So now even here at Saint Jude, we're 88 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 2: looking at how can we extend her life best with 89 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: doctor Gajar, now we're sitting and talking how can we 90 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 2: extend her life? So this is in July twenty and eleven, 91 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 2: and even doctor Gajar tells us like, hey, you know, 92 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 2: I'm not sure she'll be here for the holidays, Like 93 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 2: we need to do you guys need to do everything 94 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 2: you can with her while you have her. So December 95 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 2: comes in, rolls, you know, comes and goes. February rolls around. 96 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 2: Now she's two months past this expiration date that we've set, 97 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 2: and doctor Gajar comes to us and says, hey, I 98 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 2: have this experimental Kimo that we can try. Mariana will 99 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 2: be the first ATRT patient at Saint Jude to receive it. 100 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 2: So we give it to her and it shrinks to 101 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 2: tumor by ninety percent, which is not something that we 102 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 2: at all expected. She's still not curable. It's still you know, 103 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,640 Speaker 2: it's still now we're still playing the extension game. But 104 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 2: now we've bought her even more time. Right, and Ariana, 105 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 2: again she's the first ATRT patient to receive it, and 106 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 2: thanks to this drug, we got an extra three years 107 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 2: from that date. From that relapse date, Soriana did not 108 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 2: pass away till March of twenty fourteen, two weeks shy 109 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 2: of her eighth birthday. And thanks to donors and supporters 110 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 2: like you, there was so many different things afforded to us, 111 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 2: Like we were able to figure out while we were 112 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 2: moving from Japan where we were going to live, which 113 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: was at the Target house until we bought a house 114 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 2: and we were fed. My other daughter was taken care 115 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 2: of because we didn't have to worry about anything during 116 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 2: treatment those five years. Anytime Ariana felt well enough, we 117 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 2: always asked her, like, what do you want to do? 118 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 2: You want to go to a Passo Phoenix or you 119 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 2: want to go to Disney World. And because because we 120 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 2: didn't have to pay for treatment or to go to 121 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 2: Disney World, so Ariana passed away again two weeks shy 122 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 2: of eight. She had been to a Disney park thirteen times. Wow, 123 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 2: so she had been to Disney. My wife and I 124 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 2: were talking about this last night. So she had been 125 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 2: a Disney World in Orlando nine times, and she had 126 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 2: been to Tokyo Disney three times and then the Anaheim 127 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 2: Disney ones. So Ariana and Olivia have been to Disney 128 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 2: Disney more than your average adult. Right, so. 129 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: You're still in the Navy and now you work for 130 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: Saint Jude. How about happen? 131 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 2: So when arian I'm passed in twenty fourteen, I don't know, 132 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 2: it's hard to tell it. I mean, if you walk 133 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 2: around the campus and meet families, it's really weird how 134 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 2: Saint Jude draws everybody in. It's a stop for a 135 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:30,800 Speaker 2: second on that. 136 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: It's really weird how Saint Jude draws people in here. 137 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: We talked about when you were in San Antonio, and 138 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: I ask, you know, besides the prognosis and everything, you know, 139 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 1: the family's sick, the kids sick physically, but the families 140 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: emotionally sick. You know, they're sick to their stomachs, are sad. 141 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: And you know it dawns on me walking through this 142 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: campus that this place heals families too. Because of what 143 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: you just said. Explain that how quote this place draws 144 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: people in. 145 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 2: I think, I mean, I think you touched on it earlier. 146 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,200 Speaker 2: It's the sense of community that you have here. Right, So, 147 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,040 Speaker 2: when I was telling you about Ariana's diagnosis, you said 148 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 2: you didn't have a community to lean on. We didn't 149 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 2: find that community till we got to Saint Jude. And 150 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 2: you know, because now here you have other families that 151 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 2: are being treated for ATRT or brain tumors. Right, So 152 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 2: now you're meeting people and you're understanding what they're going 153 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 2: through and what you're going through, and there's people that 154 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 2: you can communicate on the same level with. And now 155 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 2: you have a treatment team that is doing everything possible 156 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 2: for you and your kid. You know, those the first 157 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 2: two weeks here. I remember when we first got here, Uh, 158 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 2: my wife would walk around because you're stressed out, and 159 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 2: I can I can walk through that hospital right now 160 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 2: and point out who the new families are, right because 161 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 2: you see it in their face. And I just remember thinking, 162 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 2: like me and my wife would joke around and we'd say, dude, 163 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,320 Speaker 2: they're spraying prozac through these vents, because like, why is 164 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 2: everyone laughing and why is everyone smiling? Why are these 165 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 2: kids having a good time? 166 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: There's kids dying around here. Why is everybody so happy? 167 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 2: Exactly? And you don't understand that and until you become 168 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 2: a Saint Jude family because and the reason that is 169 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 2: is because every other stress and burden is lifted off 170 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 2: your back. The only thing that you have to worry 171 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 2: about is keeping a smile on your kid's face. Right, 172 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:53,520 Speaker 2: they're treating her, and they're paying for you, and they're 173 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 2: treating her, and they're giving they're even giving you extra 174 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 2: money for you to worry about your housing and your food. 175 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 2: So there is other than the fact that your kid 176 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 2: has cancer. There is nothing else that you're having to 177 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 2: worry about but that, you know. 178 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: The antithesis to what you said is you said, I 179 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:14,800 Speaker 1: can walk around here and I can tell the new 180 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,040 Speaker 1: families immediately about the look on their face. I bet 181 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: you can also walk around here and tell the families 182 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,439 Speaker 1: who have had the Saint Jude experience also by the 183 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 1: look on their face. That's kind of beautiful. Yeah, that 184 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 1: this place is treating the whole family and you experience that. 185 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: We'll be right back. So how come you work here? 186 00:11:56,200 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: What happened? How the Navy becomes Saint Jude for you? 187 00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 2: So we used to do a lot of speaking opportunities 188 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 2: that they would, you know, like this, They would invite 189 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: us to share our story, and Ariana was so I 190 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 2: worked on the Patient Family Outreach Team for a long time, 191 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 2: which is the team at Alsack. Alsack is the fundraising 192 00:12:18,559 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 2: an awareness organization for Saint Jude. So the Patient Family 193 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 2: Outreach Team is the team that goes into the hospital 194 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 2: and finds the families that want to share their stories. 195 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 2: So we used to share stories all the time. That 196 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 2: that was my actual job at ALSACK, But before that, 197 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,080 Speaker 2: I was always tied in with that team sharing our 198 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 2: story got it. So what ended up happening is Ariana. 199 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 2: And again I was saying that that I was part 200 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 2: of the Patient Family Outreach Team because I didn't realize. 201 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 2: You don't realize how hard it is to find families 202 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 2: that one are willing to share their story comfortably. Two 203 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 2: you got to have the kids that are willing. And 204 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 2: then ourriana was our family was military, so we you know, 205 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 2: we can tell the story in many different ways. And 206 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 2: I'm bilingual, so that's hard to find and Ariana was 207 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:12,960 Speaker 2: one of those. So Ariana was being asked to do 208 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 2: a lot of different things, Spanish commercials, commercials that are 209 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 2: targeted towards military, you know, things like that. So we 210 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 2: were always sharing our story. And one time I was 211 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 2: at a dinner with mister Shadiac was the CEO of ELSAC, 212 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 2: and he told me right before it was right before 213 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 2: Ariana relapsed. I remember he told me, He's like, hey, 214 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,240 Speaker 2: why don't you come work over here? So this is 215 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 2: twenty eleven, and I was like, you know, at that time, 216 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 2: I was a lifer for the Navy. I wanted to 217 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 2: do my twenty. 218 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,559 Speaker 1: Retire get your retirement, yeah. 219 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 2: And then just like buy a farm somewhere in a 220 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 2: toka and chill out. 221 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: And maybe your kids would ask you out to party 222 00:13:55,280 --> 00:13:55,960 Speaker 1: with them one day. 223 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 2: One day. 224 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 1: You know, it's a generational thing. 225 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 2: Possibly help him fail out of school. So he Yeah, 226 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 2: in twenty eleven, he put this crazy idea in my 227 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 2: head like, hey, maybe you should come work over here. 228 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 2: And I didn't want to. And you know, as I 229 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 2: told you, I failed out of school twice. I was 230 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 2: in a school guy. I joined the military because the 231 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 2: school was just not for me. But it did get 232 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 2: me thinking in twenty and eleven, like what am I 233 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 2: gonna do when all this is over, like the Navy, 234 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:27,600 Speaker 2: Like what I don't want to keep working for the government. 235 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 2: So I registered myself for school June of two thousand 236 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 2: and eleven. What school online? It was like Colorado University, 237 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 2: what kind of school? So I signed up for my 238 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 2: associates just to get like so you had to have that. 239 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 2: It was just it got me thinking for life after 240 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 2: the Navy got it. 241 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: So you're thinking, when Navy's over, I need to have 242 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: something to fall So you went ahead and said, I'm 243 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: gonna do an online associatestory. 244 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 2: Right because every ALSAC job that you look at, the 245 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 2: majority of them require a degree. So I knew that 246 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 2: I was going to need something if this is what 247 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 2: I wanted to do. So in June of twenty eleven, 248 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,320 Speaker 2: I registered to get my associates. Ariana relapses in July 249 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 2: twenty eleven. So but now I'm on the military's dime, 250 00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 2: so I can't pull out of school or I gotta 251 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 2: pay for it, and I can't fail out, so I 252 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 2: keep going. I get my associates all while Ariana's getting treatment, 253 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 2: and I'm like, sain't that bad? So I continue doing it. 254 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 2: I get my bachelor's, I get a. 255 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: That's not bad. 256 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, I get a business degree into my bachelor's in 257 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 2: marketing and International business. And this is in the middle 258 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 2: of Ariana's treatment. I think I have finals the week 259 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 2: that she dies. Yes, because I graduated in May. She 260 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 2: passed away in March, and I remember I had finals, 261 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:00,440 Speaker 2: got my bachelor's and then now I have a here 262 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 2: a year and a half left in the Navy, so 263 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 2: I'm like, I might as well just go for my masters. 264 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 2: It's only a year and a half program. So now 265 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 2: I'm thinking, like the Navy's paying for this, right, So 266 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 2: I get my master's. I get a master's in marketing, 267 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:17,960 Speaker 2: and now I feel like I can come work at 268 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 2: ALSAC and I feel like I earned it. Right. It 269 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 2: wasn't just because mister shadyact the CEO, told me to 270 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 2: come get a job here. It was because now I 271 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 2: prepared right. Not only are we a Saint Jude family 272 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 2: and I can understand that scope, but I've put myself 273 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 2: through school and now now I feel like I belong 274 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 2: here because everyone else had to do what I did. 275 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: Right. Sure, Dad's so often, Yeah he's so proud. He 276 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: got it. 277 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:49,600 Speaker 2: He is, but he can't like get it out without crying. 278 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 2: It's hard. 279 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: I love that man. That's great he is. And uh, 280 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: I mean he sent you off to ASU and he 281 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: partied like was nineteen ninety nine and came home and 282 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: was sleeping until noon. And now you've got a master's 283 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,560 Speaker 1: and are working at the premier children's research hospital in 284 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: the world. And you know what, that's Arianna's legacy. 285 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 2: It is so now I can't roll her out here 286 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 2: and tell you that she's junior or senior in high school. 287 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 2: But Ariana's legacy lives on through whatever it is that 288 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 2: I do at Saint Jude, right giving tours and sharing 289 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 2: our story. 290 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:35,120 Speaker 1: Let's talk about that community a little bit. I've read something. 291 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:39,479 Speaker 1: You got to forgive me because I'm not the greatest 292 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:43,719 Speaker 1: not taker in the world, but your family became close 293 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: family friends to another family with another child being treated 294 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: and I think his leg had to be removed. 295 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,880 Speaker 2: And Markel, what Markel, Markel. 296 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 1: Tell us about what you did with Markell before that 297 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:07,439 Speaker 1: happened the night before. I love that story. 298 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, so with Markel, Ariana was still alive during this time. 299 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 2: So again, this is when I'm going to school for 300 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 2: my bachelor's and I'm. 301 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: Still But it's about the community, right, Yeah, it is. 302 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: You wouldn't know Markel and your families. I don't know 303 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,560 Speaker 1: if you came from the same place or not, but 304 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: there's this connection through this thing your families are going 305 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: through called cancer, and your children and your children become 306 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: friends as a result of in your families and all 307 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,679 Speaker 1: of that. That's part of the community, part of the 308 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: healing process for everyone. Right. 309 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 2: Yeah. During that time, you know we met Markel, I 310 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 2: was in school, so I was juggling school, Ariana's treatment, 311 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 2: and the Navy, like I was doing all three and 312 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:57,720 Speaker 2: then still maintaining a household. Right, it's all four. But 313 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 2: I remember it was finals week and Markel is they're 314 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 2: staying at Tri Delta, which was the Grizzly House back then. 315 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 2: But he's staying at the Tri Delta House about to 316 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 2: have surgery the next day to amputate his leg. And 317 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 2: I remember he calls me how old Markel had to 318 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,320 Speaker 2: have been, like twelve or thirteen. 319 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,719 Speaker 1: Again, we hear the world childhood cancer, and I feel 320 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 1: like we drive past it like it's a fender bender 321 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: because we're just used to hearing it. A twelve year 322 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 1: old kid, Hey, we're going to have to amputate your leg. 323 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I remember, I remember he called me and 324 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 2: he's like, what you doing, man, I'm like, nothing, dude, 325 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 2: just sitting here doing homework, you know, And he's like 326 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 2: he's all, hey, you know, I used to always come 327 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 2: get him and take him to Popeyes. He used to 328 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,159 Speaker 2: love Popeyes, Like and Popeyes coincidentally was all the way 329 00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 2: by my house. 330 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 1: It's only because Popeyes is the best chicken on earth. 331 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 2: Well schof that conversation. 332 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: But and Coachy Corner has a great barbecue and Popeye's 333 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:10,640 Speaker 1: chicken spicy chicken chicken breast with the mashed potatoes and gravy, 334 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: and their their they're spicy coldslaw man. They have the 335 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 1: best pepper on something. 336 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 2: What they do have the best Hall of Baniel peppers. 337 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 1: In town Jlopena peppers. 338 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're crunched chicken. They're crunching. 339 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: Take that stuff back to a passo, bro, we're talking 340 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:26,880 Speaker 1: about chicken right now. 341 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 2: They're good for a chain. Yes, they're fantastic. And you 342 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 2: used to take them to pop So I used to 343 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 2: always pick them up like I was basically a zuber 344 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 2: at that time. And you know, he he I had 345 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 2: the thirteen year old best friend at that time. It 346 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:41,719 Speaker 2: was like, I want to go to a Grizz game. 347 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 2: I would take him to Grizz game and he uh so, yeah, 348 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 2: he calls me after their appointment and he's like, hey, 349 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,480 Speaker 2: do what you're doing? You know I'm I'm sitting here 350 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 2: doing homework, you know, I'm slammed with homework. And he's like, hey, 351 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 2: we we come, come get me. And I'm like, he's 352 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 2: a dude. He's like, I just want to play basketball. 353 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: He's like, pulled it. You can't you stop? Pause? What 354 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: are you thinking when you hear that? Dude, You've got 355 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: to take your breath away? 356 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you drop what you're doing and you 357 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 2: won't play basketball. 358 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: I get that part. I'm talking about what you feel. 359 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 2: I mean, it feels like a gut punch. Even now 360 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 2: talking about him. It's hard not to get emotional or 361 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,560 Speaker 2: just feel that pit in your stomach. You know, he's 362 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,679 Speaker 2: a twelve year old kid, little teenager. So how long 363 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 2: did you play basketball till the sun went down? I 364 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 2: mean as long as Yeah, I mean the basketball court 365 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 2: is still there. It's the court next to the Tri 366 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 2: Delta house. We just sat out there and played one 367 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 2: on one and shot. 368 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 1: What was his cancer? 369 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 2: He had all steel sarcoma. 370 00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: What does that mean? 371 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:51,879 Speaker 2: It's a cancer of the bones. But you know, again, 372 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 2: the whole community thing, I mean, where was he from Louisiana. 373 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: And his mom was here with him? I guess his mom. 374 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,199 Speaker 2: Works here, not to is what his mom works here 375 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 2: now to you might want on your podcast? 376 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:03,919 Speaker 1: Are you kidding me? 377 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 2: I'm not. She's right upstairs. 378 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: Did he make it? He did not? How old was he? 379 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,360 Speaker 2: He passed away when he was seventeen or eighteen? 380 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:20,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, but his life was much longer given us time 381 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:24,640 Speaker 1: here and you got to play basketball with his buddy. Yeah. 382 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 2: Markel was you know, just talking about community. It's I 383 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:33,479 Speaker 2: think everything I do, I carry so many of these 384 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 2: names that we met along the way, right, Markel being one. 385 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 2: I mean, I have him tattooed on my arm. He 386 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 2: Markel was just a kid that was larger than life. 387 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 2: You know, he was an amazing kid, you know, talking 388 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:55,280 Speaker 2: about that moment, right, And I think all Saint Jude's 389 00:22:54,840 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 2: all all Saint Jude kids carry that at them. It's 390 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 2: like they can carry the worst news possible and take 391 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 2: it in stride. And it's because of the people they're 392 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,479 Speaker 2: surrounded by and the treatment teams that they're surrounded by 393 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 2: that gives them that confidence. I feel like and hope 394 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 2: and hope and Markel was just he uh, I mean 395 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 2: I loved hanging out with him. He was, like I said, 396 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 2: he'd call me and be like, dude, I want some Popeyes, 397 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 2: and I'd have to come kid him and take them 398 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 2: to Popeyes. And so I remember, so here's here's the 399 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,920 Speaker 2: first time I met Markel. Okay, So the first time 400 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 2: we met Markel was in New York City. We were 401 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 2: there for the thanks and Giving celebration on the Today Show, 402 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 2: which I'm sure you've seen. It's it's the week of Thanksgiving. 403 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 2: They have a Saint Jude family on every week or 404 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 2: every day, right, So we happened to be there the 405 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 2: week that they were there. We were the two families 406 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:53,640 Speaker 2: that were chosen. And I remember him walking around Times 407 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,639 Speaker 2: Square and then we did our thing, and but we 408 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,399 Speaker 2: ran up and saw each other at the hotel again 409 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 2: after he had walked around Times Square, and I was 410 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 2: like his mom like comes up to us and tells us. 411 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 2: He's like, dude, we ran into Tracy Morgan, you know, 412 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 2: and I was like that's cool, you know, and he's like, yeah, 413 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 2: he's super nice. He was like chatting with us, and 414 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 2: I was like cool. But Markel's, you know, a little 415 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 2: bit further away. So when Markel comes up, the first 416 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 2: thing I tell him like, dude, I heard you met 417 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 2: Tracy Morgan. He's like, I didn't meet Tracy Morgan. He's 418 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 2: like Tracy Morgan met me. And that was just the 419 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,239 Speaker 2: kind of kid that Markel was, right, and uh, I mean, 420 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,160 Speaker 2: he was just he was just. 421 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:40,919 Speaker 1: A great kid. And that's just one more example of 422 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: how Enrique is a member of the army of normal folks. 423 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: Here he is juggling a ton, his daughter's battling brain cancer, 424 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: he's going to college, he's a husband and a father, 425 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: and yet he makes the time to serve another kid 426 00:24:56,080 --> 00:25:00,680 Speaker 1: battling cancer. It's remarkable, and the service of others continues 427 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: after the break. I want you to share with us 428 00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 1: the story of the eight acts of random kindness for 429 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 1: the eight years your your daughter was on this earth. 430 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:28,879 Speaker 1: Tell me about that. 431 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, So, as I said, Ariana passed away two weeks 432 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 2: I have her eighth birthday. We got to we celebrated 433 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 2: her eighth birthday and one of the cool things was 434 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 2: so her we did her birthday party like the last 435 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:50,439 Speaker 2: few days in March. We had a pinata for her 436 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 2: because she's Mexican. Uh so we had a pinata. 437 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: I'm not Mexican. I had pinatas for my kids. Culture 438 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: you know, everybody likes pinatas. 439 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 2: So we had a pinata for her. 440 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:06,640 Speaker 1: Mexican good grief whatever. 441 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 2: Okay, go ahead, we'll explore this software. But she uh, 442 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 2: so we had a pinata for her. She ended up 443 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 2: not feeling well and she had to go lay down, 444 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,439 Speaker 2: and so she essentially missed her eighth birthday party. So 445 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 2: us in our head, we saved a pinata for her 446 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 2: because it was for her. And I remember when she 447 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 2: woke up after the party, she looked at us and 448 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 2: the first thing she said was did y'all break the pinata? 449 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,439 Speaker 2: And we were like, no, you know, we thought that 450 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 2: you should break it. It's your birthday. And she started 451 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,919 Speaker 2: crying because she was upset that the kids didn't get 452 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 2: to break the pinata and have fun. 453 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: Her friends didn't get to Yeah, and it's so sweet. 454 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 2: So she was always like that. She was always thinking 455 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 2: about others, and even when she was in treatment at 456 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 2: the hospital, if she see kids not having a good 457 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 2: time or off in the corner by themselves not wanting 458 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 2: to play, she always she always tried to pull those 459 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 2: kids in. So she was always extremely kind and thoughtful. 460 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 2: So again, she passed away two weeks. I have her 461 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,439 Speaker 2: eighth birthday, but we gave her eight. So when she 462 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 2: did pass March thirty first of twenty fourteen, we were 463 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:21,160 Speaker 2: just in a whirlwind of emotions and not. 464 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: Knowing what to do, completely understandable. 465 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 2: You know, just kind of lost in our grief. We 466 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 2: didn't want to celebrate an eighth birthday on April eighth 467 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 2: because she wasn't here with us anymore. I mean, we 468 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 2: had just had her funeral. So we decided. My wife 469 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 2: and one of her best friends were just chatting through 470 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:42,800 Speaker 2: things on what to do on her Ariana's birthday that 471 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 2: they came up with wanting to do eight random acts 472 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,480 Speaker 2: of kindness on Ariana's birthday, one act for each year 473 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 2: that she lived that we had her, And now we 474 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 2: do that every year since that day. 475 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: What do you do? 476 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 2: We just go around and find people. 477 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 1: Just not at Saint Jude, but anyway all over, yeah, 478 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,680 Speaker 1: I mean, Walt wherever. 479 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 2: I mean, We've put bags together for new families at 480 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 2: Target House. I've you know, paid for people's meals, you know, 481 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:22,159 Speaker 2: taking homeless people food, clothes, anything we can think of. 482 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 2: We try and just spend. 483 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:30,159 Speaker 1: That literally really random kindness to just honor your daughter's legacy. 484 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, we anywhere we spend that day just being 485 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 2: kind of people and telling people about Ariana. Not necessarily 486 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 2: being kind, but like we always have like a little 487 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:44,000 Speaker 2: bookmark that we share with people and we see and 488 00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 2: this is why we're this is why we're doing it, 489 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:51,640 Speaker 2: and then it has like Ariana's little story. So but 490 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 2: we feel like this is something that we should do 491 00:28:54,120 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 2: because the first year, you know, I went to work 492 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 2: the ninth the next day and I was still in 493 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 2: the Navy, And on the drive home, my wife tells me, 494 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 2: She's like, hey, will you pick me up a Starbucks 495 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,280 Speaker 2: drink or whatever? She gets teased. She doesn't get coffee, 496 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 2: she gets those fancy teas, but you know, she always 497 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:19,760 Speaker 2: has text me the order because I don't remember what 498 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 2: it's like. You know, it's deead of water that you 499 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 2: got to use apple juice and blah blah blah. Right, 500 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:30,040 Speaker 2: So I remember I remember the ninth. The ninth, I'm 501 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 2: driving home. This was after the first year that we 502 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 2: did that. I'm driving home and this is my military 503 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,680 Speaker 2: cheap self thinking, right, there's a Starbucks right about my 504 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 2: house that if you're in uniform, they won't charge you. 505 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,240 Speaker 2: So I'm like I'm stopping at that Starbucks. So anyway, 506 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 2: I pull up through the drive through and she's like, hey, 507 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 2: you know, you know, I'm trying to pay because I 508 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 2: always try and pay no matter what. So I'm trying 509 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 2: to pay and the lady's like, no, it's not it's 510 00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,800 Speaker 2: on the house. Uh, you know, we got it. And 511 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 2: and I'm like, you know, I'm like why and she's like, well, 512 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 2: she's uh. She's also I didn't work yesterday, but someone 513 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 2: came in and did an act of kindness and they 514 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 2: asked that we pay it forward. And here's a book 515 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 2: mark and it was for this little girl, Ariana. And 516 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 2: you know, this is why, this is why I'm doing it. 517 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 2: And I chose. I chose you. And I was like, well, 518 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 2: thank you so much, you know, and. 519 00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: Did you tell her? No, you did not even say 520 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: that's my daughter. But it came full circle. 521 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 2: It came full soulker. I told my wife and she 522 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 2: broke down and cried. But I felt like a break 523 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 2: down a crowd. If I would have told that poor 524 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,720 Speaker 2: little teenager she lost it, she would she would. I 525 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 2: don't think she would have been able to work. 526 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: Did you not ball on the way home. 527 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 2: I've always been really good at compartmentalizing everything that we've experienced. 528 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 2: I mean even now, people will always hey, like, I 529 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 2: don't understand how you don't get emotional talking about Ariana. 530 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: Tears do not mean you're not emotional. It's where your emotion. 531 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 2: Is put right. But okay, I guess I can contain 532 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:15,240 Speaker 2: that really well. 533 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: But but yeah, it had to have hit you in 534 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:23,360 Speaker 1: your core. It did when the woman in Starbucks gives 535 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,440 Speaker 1: you a coffee and hands you the bootmark and had 536 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: no idea and said here, and it's about your own daughter, 537 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: your daughter's legacy coming right back through a drive through 538 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: window a Starbucks and eating in the face. 539 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:41,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I just thanked her, and you know, drove off 540 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 2: and called my wife immediately. It was, Uh, it made 541 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 2: us feel like that's what we needed to do every 542 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 2: year because that was the first year. 543 00:31:53,640 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 1: So I don't know the exact statistics, and I know 544 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 1: you probably do, so correct me or help me. But 545 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:16,640 Speaker 1: thirty years ago, if a child got cancer, one out 546 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: of five survived it about twenty percent. And now, because 547 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: of Saint Jude and the amazing research they do and 548 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 1: the experimental stuff they do, I think it's four out 549 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: of five it's about eighty percent. It helped me with 550 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: those numbers. Is that is that close to right? What 551 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:40,440 Speaker 1: is it? 552 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 2: So in nineteen sixty two when Saint Jude opened its doors. 553 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 1: Okay, sixty two, so that's uh thirty eight fifty almost 554 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:49,640 Speaker 1: sixty years now. 555 00:32:50,400 --> 00:32:53,520 Speaker 2: So in nineteen sixty two when Danny Thomas started first fundraising, 556 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,080 Speaker 2: if you look at if you go into the pavilion 557 00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:59,960 Speaker 2: and you look at pictures of like the original fundraiser 558 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 2: that Danny would would do, you see a lot of 559 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 2: them where they're talking about childhood leukemia. So his goal 560 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 2: at that point was childhood leukemia. Leukemia's survival rate in 561 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,320 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty two was four percent. How much four percent? 562 00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: Four It was a it was a death. 563 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:21,960 Speaker 2: Since today, thanks to all the research and all the 564 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 2: treatments that Saint Juda has helped develop, thanks to donors 565 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,840 Speaker 2: and supporters and all their donations, the survival rate for 566 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 2: child the most common form of childhood leukemia is ninety 567 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 2: four percent. So that's you know, it's night and day. 568 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,840 Speaker 2: It's completely different than it was when Danny Thomas started this. 569 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: Organization, and overall, not even just childhood leukemia, but all 570 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:48,560 Speaker 1: kinds of. 571 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 2: Cancers all right, eighty percent now. 572 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 1: Eighty percent survival rate against an eighty percent death rate. 573 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 1: What's it feel like to be part of an organization 574 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:07,960 Speaker 1: that is doing that for humanity? 575 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 2: I mean, it's the most fulfilling job I've ever had. 576 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 2: It's uh, it's great to know that I don't know. 577 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 2: So the way I look at it is, I feel like, 578 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:31,480 Speaker 2: like you said, right, just normal guys make make make 579 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:38,000 Speaker 2: amazing organizations, right, And I think these normal guys are 580 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:40,440 Speaker 2: impacted by something in their life. So a lot of 581 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 2: these foundations and a lot of these organizations are are 582 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 2: created and founded because something impacted that person. After what 583 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,760 Speaker 2: we've been through with Ariana and everything that I learned 584 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 2: and everything that we experienced with Ariana, the way I 585 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 2: look at it is when it it's all said and 586 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:05,760 Speaker 2: done for me, when I'm done being here, I want 587 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 2: I want my kids to know that I did everything 588 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 2: I possibly could learning from the experience that we lived 589 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 2: with Mariana, and I gave back to everything that gave 590 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:20,400 Speaker 2: to us. So the way I look at it is, 591 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 2: I've dedicated my career to the organization that gave us 592 00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 2: so much hope and so much care for my daughter 593 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:33,839 Speaker 2: that gave us an extra five years that we went 594 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 2: to God elsewhere, and I will forever feel indebted to 595 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:43,000 Speaker 2: Saint Jude for them. 596 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,920 Speaker 1: You know, our podcast is an army and normal folks, 597 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: and we talked to a lot of normal folks who 598 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:56,040 Speaker 1: have started extraordinary organizations or become involved in extraordinary organizations. 599 00:35:56,120 --> 00:36:03,919 Speaker 1: And you know, your story is so fitting because you're 600 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: a normal guy, and you know your parents are blue 601 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,799 Speaker 1: collar workers, and you find a way to get in 602 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: the Navy, and you get married, you have two kids, 603 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:21,400 Speaker 1: and your life is on its way, and you're interrupted 604 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 1: by a devastating news for your daughter, and you continue 605 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,919 Speaker 1: to serve in the military, and then you figure out 606 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: how to get your masters after failing twice in your 607 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:38,799 Speaker 1: younger years, and now you end up working at the 608 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: very hospital that gave your daughter hope and kids from 609 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:51,240 Speaker 1: families that are so much like yours. And I guess 610 00:36:51,239 --> 00:36:54,440 Speaker 1: if you're part of that end of Saint Jude, your 611 00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,400 Speaker 1: whole goal is to continue to tell the story of 612 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:01,239 Speaker 1: Saint Jude and what it meant to your family and 613 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:06,520 Speaker 1: families like yours, and why it isn't so important that 614 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: people across the world support this place. 615 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's a it's an amazing organization. And 616 00:37:15,680 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 2: you know, one of the one of the things I 617 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:20,479 Speaker 2: always say when I get to speak at radiothons because 618 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 2: radiothons like they always shoot for like the twenty dollars 619 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:28,400 Speaker 2: a month they partner and hope, right, And one of 620 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 2: the things I always say when they're like, what do 621 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 2: you have to tell our donors or our listeners? I 622 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,640 Speaker 2: think twenty dollars a month is amazing to be able 623 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,760 Speaker 2: to donate, right, It's not. It's not unattainable. It's easy. 624 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:43,640 Speaker 2: That's three Starbucks cups a day. 625 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:48,800 Speaker 1: Right, It's a sixteen piece bucket at Pope's that's nineteen 626 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:49,279 Speaker 1: ninety nine. 627 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, easy, right, easy, So you can do that, right, 628 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,680 Speaker 2: you can. You can leave the bucket at Popeyes one 629 00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 2: time a month and for twenty dollars a month. I mean, 630 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,879 Speaker 2: you're ensuring that these doors stay open. So I look 631 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 2: at it more as an insurance policy, right, because you 632 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 2: never know when you're going to need a place like 633 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,520 Speaker 2: Saint Jude. It might be for your kid, it might 634 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 2: be for your neighbor's kid, it might be for your 635 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:17,200 Speaker 2: niece or your nephew. But one day someone that you 636 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:20,320 Speaker 2: know or that that's touched your life is going to 637 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,400 Speaker 2: need these doors to be open, and twenty dollars a 638 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 2: day insures or twenty dollars a month ensures that those 639 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:25,800 Speaker 2: doors are open. 640 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:33,920 Speaker 1: So, guys, let's ensure Saint Jude's doors always stay open, 641 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:37,239 Speaker 1: and together we could get one step closer to the 642 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:41,799 Speaker 1: day when no child dies from cancer. Once again. If 643 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:44,080 Speaker 1: you're interested in joining us in this mission, go to 644 00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:49,520 Speaker 1: Savejude dot org. Backslash normal folks, I'm Bill Courtney. I'll 645 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:50,360 Speaker 1: see you next week.