An Army of Normal Folks - Enrique: I’m Giving Back To St. Jude For What They Gave To Us (Pt 1)

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

Enrique’s 3-year-old daughter Arianna was diagnosed with an incredibly rare brain cancer and they were told that she would never turn 4. Arianna was then accepted as a patient by St. Jude, the leading childhood cancer hospital where families don’t pay a dime, and they gave her an additional 4 years of life. Enrique is so grateful to St. Jude that he’s now working for their awareness and fundraising organization. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The way I look at it is when it's all said and done for me, when I'm done being here. I want my kids to know that I did everything I possibly could, learning from the experience that we lived with Ariana. And I gave back to everything that gave to us. So the way I look at it is I've dedicated my career to the organization that gave us so much hope and so much care for my daughter that gave us an extra five years that we wouldn't have got elsewhere and I will forever feel indebted to Saint Jude for that Welcome to an Army of Normal Folks, I'm Bill Courtney. I'm a normal guy.

I'm a husband, I'm a father, I'm an entrepreneur, and I've been a football coach in intercity Memphis in the last part. It unintentionally led to an Oscar for the film about our team. It's called undefeated. I believe our country's problems will never be solved by a bunch of fancy people and nice suits using big words that nobody understands on CNN and Fox, but rather an army of normal folks us, just you and me deciding, hey, I can help. That's what Enrique, the voice we just heard is done. At three years old, his daughter, Ariana,

was diagnosed with an incredibly rare brain cancer, and they were originally told that she wouldn't make it to her fourth birthday. Thanks to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Ariana got four more years than that. And in Rieke is so grateful that after she passed, he decided to go to work for St. Jude. The episode is being released during childhood cancer awareness month and September.

And I can't wait for you to hear and Rika tell his story about his perspective in his own words right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. What is this place? Wait, why my handcuffed? What am I doing here? 13 days of Halloween Penance Season 4 of the award-winning horror fiction podcast presented in immersive 3D audio. Where am I? Why? This is the Pendleton.

All residents, please return to your habitation. Light stuff on your feet You knew here, so I'll say it once no talking Starring Natalie Morales of parks and recreation and dead to me am I under arrest? We don't like to use that word can I leave of my own free will not at this time? So this is a prison no, it's a rehabilitation center. Premiering October 19th, ending Halloween. I'm gonna get out.

And how may I ask, or are you going to do that? Escape. Listen to 13 days of Halloween on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Moaraka, and I'm excited to announce season four of my podcast Mo Bituaries. I've got a whole new bunch of stories to share with you about the most fascinating people and things who are no longer with us.

From famous figures who died on the very same day. To the things I wish would die, like buffets. People actually take little tastes along the way with their fingers. They do. Oh no, I'm so sorry. Do you need a minute? This is the only interview where I've needed a spit bucket. I'm so sorry. We'll tell you about the singer who helped define cool.

And the sports world's very first superstar. To call Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete in American history is not a stretch because no athlete before a sincestown what he did. Listen to Mobituaries with Mooraka on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Are you looking to carve out your own spiritual path and connect with a higher power? Maybe you're on a quest for meaning purpose

or a sense of belonging. Perhaps you grew up in a religion that doesn't quite align with who you are right now, or maybe you've lost your connection to God and want to find your way back. Or if you're like a lot of people, you're simply trying to make sensible world that sometimes seems overwhelming and confusing. Welcome to what God got to do with it, a podcast with a fresh and relatable take on spirituality and faith.

I'm your host, Leanne Ellington, and this podcast was designed to be a place where you can meet yourself exactly where you are on your own journey without judgment or shame and without worrying about whether you're doing it air quotes right. It's your spiritual safe space where skepticism and doubt are welcome. It's a place where faith meets science and miracles meet real life, all while inviting you into the conversation that your heart, soul, and spirit needs. Listen to what God got to do with it on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. To respect the privacy of patients and their families at St. Jude, we'll only be using Enrique's first name this

episode. His parents are immigrants from Mexico and Enrique was born and bred in El Paso, Texas. I asked him what his parents did for work and Enrique started with his father. You know, he worked at factories and he worked at a utility. He used to paint trucks for a while when I was a kid and then I think the longest job he had that I remember was working at Ureca, Ureca vacuum cleaners. So my mom, she did like sewing and stuff in factories

so she worked at Lee, Lee jeans. She worked there for a long time. So two parents at home working hard, but Blue Collar family. I assume immigrated to the States to have a better life for themselves and their children. And we're part of that. Yeah, I got to live that Mexican-American dream,

if you will, you know. What is that? What is that Mexican-American dream? Just, you know, when you get to see your parents come and live in a better life, and you still have family that you get to see your parents come and live in a better life and you still have family that you get to go visit regularly, especially growing up in a border town where El Paso and Huat is are essentially one town, right? It's split just by a bridge like West Memphis and Memphis is.

So we used to drive over and see my grandparents and my aunts and, you know, all the time. So you do see the separation in lifestyles and the culture that you did come from and the lifestyle that your parents are chasing. And I joined the Navy when I was 20 after failing out of college twice. You felt college twice? I didn't know that.

What was that all about? What were you majoring in? What'd you do? Like computer graphic design or something? So I tried going to school. I don't even remember. Computer graphic design or something. I can see that you had a lot of commitment to that. Yeah, I mean, I got to school in Phoenix.

Wait, where? Arizona State? Yeah, Arizona State. And I failed out. I mean, the first semester, I found a fraternity and partied my butt off and that's all I cared to do. And then failed out. So I moved back home and I tried going to the community college in Opasso. And again, just partied out.

For those who don't know, there's a lot of party and to be done at ASU. No, yeah. ASU's off the hook. Yeah, a lot. Fortunately around that time, I met my wife at issue right before I left in Phoenix. And then I ended up, you know, we ended up

starting dating and, you know, friends first dating and then married few years later. But yeah, so I moved back to El Paso, failed out of that. And this was in 2001. This was 2001. So I failed out right before, or right around the time of September 11th. So you were living at home. Your parents were trying to provide you this American dream.

And I was just screwing it up. Do you go to high school, went to ASU, and did up the American dream, which went exactly the dream your parents are probably thinking of. Yeah. You come home, community college doesn't get it for you and the planes at the buildings. Mm-hmm. And so now you're a version of the American Dream Changes.

It did. So that happened September. And I remember, all right, so not to hit stereotypes here, but so I grew up around three cousins, because like I said, I'm eight years older and my brother. So I grew up around cousins that I looked at as brothers and there was three of them. And it's, you know, my mom's sister's kids. So I grew up with them and it was them that we were always together, parting and doing our stuff.

And two of them, in Opaso, it's super easy for a lot of teenagers and a lot of kids to get involved in trying to cross over drugs illegally. And two of my cousins, two of them got caught doing that. So the older one went first and then the younger one. What is the draw to that? Is it money? Yeah, just quick money. You know, they pay you money to cross a car over and you know, you get paid. I mean, let's be real, cross

a car over with ContraBand. Yeah, with ContraBand, you you know but so two of them got caught and then so now me and my other cousins Caesar are left while two of them are in prison and we're just we have nothing he's in job core because he dropped out of school and me I just failed out of community college now and can I ask you something what are your parents thinking? They left Mexico seeking a better life. Your dad's working a factory, your mom's the same stress it sounds like. They're working eight hard hours a day to provide this life.

And clearly your mom's sister's the same. And then even with all of that parental involvement and love and effort and blue collar hard work to chase that American dream, there's still issues, you know, that normal people have. But have you ever talked with your parents about that? I mean, what was going on inside of them? I've talked with my mom more about it. And she just said, you know, she says that it was disappointing just because I wasn't kickstarting my life, you know, I was like I said 20 years old, I had just turned 20 in September. And then September 11th happened. And I remember, I remember the exact conversation. So like, it was in November, my cousin Caesar, who was the middle brother of the three.

Like I said, he was in Job Corps because he failed out. So at Job Corps, you had recruiters come and talk to them, and he ended up signing up for the Navy. Now, remember I was laying in bed. I mean, it had to have been like 12 or one in the afternoon, and my dad walks in, and he's like, guess what Caesar just did And I'm like he got caught on the bridge too, you know Guess what Caesar just did first thing was yeah, and I was like he got arrested He got arrested too, you know, and he's like he's not no. He's like he just he just joined the Navy and

And I was like man, he's so stupid. I was like, we're about to go into World War three. You know, and uh, coincidentally at that time, he didn't have a car. So I had the car. So I had to take them to his recruiter meetings. And when I would take them, I would sit with the recruiter outside and just chat with them. Little did I know that he was reeling me in. But I remember I'm going to give you the best recruiter outside and just chat with him. Little did I know that he was reeling me in, but I remember I'ma give you the best recruiter sales pitch.

So he starts talking to me, my cousin goes to these meetings once a month. He the recruiter. Okay. And he, you know, every time I'd go, he'd sit out there and chat with me at his desk. And he would tell me about these Westpacks and he'd show me coins and postcards and pictures.

And I was like, man, this sounds awesome, right? And finally, one day he asked me, he's like, what are you gonna do with your life? And you know, Paso's a big army town because we have Fort Bliss. So in my head, at that point, I was already thinking like, well, maybe I'll just join the army and find my way back to Paso at some point. And so he asked me, he's point, I was already thinking like, well, maybe I'll just join the army and find my way back to El Paso at some point.

And so he asked me, he's like, what are you going to do with your life? And he's like, I think I think I'm going to join the army. And he's like, he's like, why do you want to join the army? And I was like, well, to, you know, travel the world. And then he said, okay, he's like, so do you want to join the army? Or do you want to travel the world and see every desert in the world? Or do you want to travel the world and see every desert in the world or do you want to travel the world and see every beach in the world and I was like Beach sounds like old beach sounds better. He's like well, you can't pull a you can't pull a ship in unless there's a beach and I'm like You are absolutely right. I was he's like so what do you want to do? I was like I think I'm a join the Navy

And he's like he's okay. He like, what do you want to do? And I was like, I don't know, I don't want to do anything. I just want to go on these Westpacks that you're talking about. So I took my ASVAB and I ended up being a personnel specialist. So I did a personnel work. But yeah, so that's how I got real din into the Navy. It was my cousin's idea. And I remember when I went to boot camp, April of 2002.

So I got in trouble right before, right after I joined. And I ended up losing our buddy program because of some stuff that I did that I shouldn't have done. So what ended up happening was my recruit was like, okay, you're on like a 45 day suspension from this recruiting program. He's like, after we'll sign you back up, he's like, but you're probably gonna lose the buddy program

and you'll probably have to either go first or go after your cousin. And I was like, all right, so we got all the paperwork worked out and then I had to go before my cousin. So I was two weeks ahead of my cousin now. And I remember before I left, we sat down with my recruiter and he said, he said, go to church every Sunday.

He's like, that is the only place they can't mess with you at boot camp. He's not just go to church and look for each other there. And I was like, okay. So every Sunday I was going to church looking for my cousins or looking for my cousin, Caesar. And that first week is the toughest week at boot camp. Because once you're in a routine, you don't even feel it anymore. But that first week, when you're on five hours of sleep

for that week, and, you know, because they're processing you in through medical, dental, and all your background checks, that's the craziest and hardest week. And that's when they beat you down in that first Sunday, they ask you before they allow you to go to church, they ask you like, hey, you know if you want to go home Take today and let us know and then you can go home after the after today

No harm no foul will send you back home He's like, but if this is someone want to do you can stay in other words you want to quit Yeah, this is the day because this is the day to quit. This is last deal. So me I had to stay and wait for my cousin Right, so you know that week passes for me, and then now I see my cousin, I'm at church, I finally find him. And he is, like, he is destroyed. Like, he is, he's like, yeah, he is face down, sad,

and I'm just like, he's like, we sit down at church, I'm like, you good, dude, he's like, he's like, yeah, he's like, it's just crazy, you know? And I'm like. I'm like, you good dude. He's like, he's like, yeah, he's like, it's just crazy You know, and I'm like, I'm like, it's gonna be all right. He's like, he's like, I think I'm gonna go home I was like, this was your idea Yeah, you are god going home I was like, absolutely I had a lot of choice words for him and I ended up talking them out of Wanting to go home, but I was like this is not happening happening. Like you're staying dude. And then do you both get through, you get through bootcamp?

Yeah, we both get through. And you said your father, the first time you ever saw him cry, was when you bootcamp graduation. Yeah. You know, I have four children, and there's probably nothing I wouldn't do for them, although all four of them are complete idiots and they drive me crazy and have been extraordinarily expensive. And they are. And they're 28, 27, 26 and 25. So they're adults, right? But I wouldn't do anything in the world form.

I would do anything in the world form. And you know, your parents did a lot for you. And I bet when they see you come home from ASU and they see Elaine around at bed from 12 to 1. And the cousins get arrested. Your dad had to have been proud, but he also had to have been relieved. You know, he had to have been like, it was all worth it. He's going to be okay.

Which I think is a beautiful thing, but I think that's what all of us, his parents, just want, is for kids to be okay and to be relieved. And the irony of that story is you spend your life around parents who aren't going to have that relief, which we'll talk about in a little bit. Tell me, would you go station, what'd you do, where'd you run off to? So my first duty station, so I went to school, I went to A school here in Meridian, Mississippi, that was my first taste of the South. And then,

Salute. Yeah. And then, all they had was a mall. Right. And then my first duty station was in Bremerton, Washington on the USS Carl Vincent, as an aircraft carrier.

That's so cool. So, how many people on that thing, like 3000? There's about 3000 ships company and then when you bring the air wing on, you're looking at anywhere between 5 and 6,000. That's a float in the city. It is. It really is. And you're in charge of, you're in the personality.

I'm in the personnel office. Yeah, just working on administrative struff, issuing IDs and drink qualifications, making sure people's pay or, you know, people are getting paid. I think it's the most important job in the Navy. Yeah, if people don't get paid, they're pretty upset. That's what I always tell people. So this girl you met at ASU, it's, well, there's two questions I have. One is, at some point, you decided I'm not doing this

for two and a half years of moving on. I'm going to do this long term. And at some point, you moved the girl out of ASU into the Navy wife position. So how, how do all that develop? So I met Laticia. Laticia was a party animal just like me. So we met at a club. Done wrong with that. And in a she near it. Where she from? Simply in Tempe. She was she's from Scottsdale. But yeah, so I met her at a night club. It was actually a 21 and under club. It was after hours.

That's how young we were. And so do you want the full funny story or do you just want me to give you snubbys? I think humorous food for the soul, my friend. Okay, so all right. So this was around the time I was getting ready to move back. And you mean you were failing out?

Yeah. Moving back is the nice way to say it. So my mom, my mom surprised us and showed up at my door as we were walking out to go to the nightclub, right? And my mom loves to dance and stuff like that. Like you took your mom. So I took my mom. So I'm walking out the door and my mom walks in as we're walking out.

And she's like, hey, you know, surprise, I'm here to visit. And I was like, well, we're getting ready to go out, you know, and at 18, 19 years old, nothing stopping you from going out when you got. Especially when you got your girlfriend. You're mine. No, she wasn't. I didn't know her yet. Oh, you're just going out with some support.

I'm going out with friends. Yeah. So my mom shows up and I'm like, well, we're going out. You coming with us and she's like, yeah, let me get dressed real quick. So we take my mom to this club. Well, we get there, we're, you know, we're scouting the scene, seeing what's going on.

And I end up going to the restroom with my friend and unbeknownst to me, I had no idea this was going on. My mom approaches what turns out being my wife, her and her cousin and says, Hey, will you dance with my son while I'm in the restroom? And so I come out and I start dancing with my wife, or I start dancing with my wife's cousin and then my friend's dancing with my wife, or I start dancing with my wife's cousin, and then my friend's dancing with what turns out to be my wife. So we met that night, that's how we met. And after that, I'd see her. Can I just clear this up?

Your mom basically introduced you to your wife in a club. That's pretty funny. Yeah, in the underage club too. Yeah, it's hilarious. So, I would see her after that and I'd want to be your friend and stuff like that. And we actually ended up becoming really good friends. And then I moved back to El Paso

and we always just kept in touch. And every time I'd go to Phoenix to see my friends, which was pretty regularly, I would connect with her. And then, as persistent guys always are, I would always try her. And then, you know, as persistent guys always are, I would always try and, you know, get her to go on a date with me and, you know, take that to the next level. And she would always turn me down. And she'd then actually accept until she knew I was joining the night. Yeah, she's like, dude, is it party with her mom? So I'm not sure.

Yeah. I was crashing and burning pretty hard with her. And I told her I was joined in the Navy. I mean, were you yelling meatloaf from the couch like the wedding crashers guy? I mean, it was only 18 or 19. I was like, I was still a teenager. Whatever. So go ahead.

When I told her I was joined in the Navy, she'll tell you that she didn't want me to leave and find a girlfriend and not be able to allow, not be allowed to talk to her. Because we were at, we had actually became real close. And so that's when she decided that she should start dating me. So we joined the Navy and then, I'd say about a year and a half after Poo Kamp, while we were broken up, we were broken up. We got married. You got married while you were broken up?

Mm hmm. Dude, that's crazy. Was your mom involved in that? There was, uh, now it was a small courthouse wedding and it was, uh, it was, it started over a fight. I lived in Seattle, her in Burmerton, she lived in Phoenix and she was like, I don't trust you in Seattle. I'm like, well, I don't trust you in Phoenix.

And I was like, alright, and she's like, well, the only way this is going to work is if we are together. And I said, well, the Navy don't pay for an apartment unless I'm married. And she said, well, then let's get married. Well, then let's get married. And I flew down two weeks later and we got married. Your proposal, you're a real Casanova. That's how it went down, it's a romantic moment.

No, man. No. No. No. And now, a few messages from our generous sponsors. But first, I really hope you'll consider signing up to join the army at normalfoges.us. Guys, I really do believe that this Army can change the country.

By signing up, you'll also receive our weekly newsletter that has short episode summaries in case you prefer reading about the Army members for celebrating each week, as well as fun and exciting updates about our movement. Think about it. We'll be right back. What is this place? Wait, why my handcuffed? What am I doing here? 13 days of Halloween, Penance. Season 4 of the award-winning horror fiction podcast presented in immersive 3D audio. Where am I? Why? This is the Pendleton. All residents, please return to your habitation. Light up on your feet!

You're new here, so I'll say it once. No talking. Starring Natalie Morales of Parks and Recreation and Dead to Me. Am I under arrest? We don't like to use that word. Can I leave of my own free will? Not at this time. So this is a prison then?

No, it's a rehabilitation center. Premiering October 19th, ending Halloween. I'm gonna get out. And how may I ask, or are you going to do that? Escape. Listen to 13 days of Halloween on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple podcasts over ever you get your podcasts.

I'm Mo'Raca and I'm excited to announce season four of my podcast, Mo'Bituary's. I've got a whole new bunch of stories to share with you about the most fascinating people and things who are no longer with us. From famous figures who died on the very same day. To the things I wish would die, like buffets. People actually take little tastes along the way with their fingers. Oh, they do. Oh no, I'm so sorry. Do you need a minute? This is the only interview where I've needed a spit bucket.

I'm so sorry. We'll tell you about the singer who helped define cool. And the sports world's very first superstar. To call Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete in American history is not a stretch because no athlete before since is done what he did. Listen to Mobituaries with Moroca on the I Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Are you looking to carve out your own spiritual path and connect with a higher power? Maybe you're on a quest for meaning purpose or a sense of belonging. Perhaps you grew up in a religion that doesn't quite align with who you are right now, or maybe you've lost your connection to God and want to find your way back. Or if you're like a lot of people, you're simply trying to make sensible world that sometimes seems overwhelming and confusing. Welcome to What's God Got To Do With It, a podcast with a fresh and relatable take on spirituality and faith. I'm your host, Leanne Ellington, and this podcast was designed to be a place where you can

meet yourself exactly where you are on your own journey, without judgment or shame, and without worrying about whether you're doing it air quotes right. It's your spiritual safe space where skepticism and doubt are welcome. It's a place where faith meets science and miracles meet real life, all while inviting you into the conversation that your heart, soul, and spirit needs. Listen to what God got to do with it on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Enrique and Laticia later moved to Virginia, and then the naval air base in Millington, outside of Memphis, where he would drive by the St. Jude buildings. He'd see their TV spots and thought,

man, where do they find these poor families? And in December of 2008, they moved to Japan with their two young daughters. The world changes for you in Japan. Tell me about where St. Jude found one of those poor families in your family. Yeah, so we were stationed in Japan. I was there on a what should have been a four year tour. So like I said, we got there in December 2008, January 2009. And in June, so June 29th of 2009, my Ariana, who had just turned three in April, had a 10-minute seizure.

10-minute seizure? 10-minute seizure. You know, I've coached football, taught school, been around kids my whole life, and owner lumber company that's hot and stuff. And I've seen people pass out and all. I've seen 15 or 20 second seizures. A 10 minute seizure to me sounds horrifying. We talk in clinch fist, teeth gnarling, locked up, convalesive for 10 straight minutes. Mm-hmm, 27. Yeah, straight up seizure for 10 minutes.

So I was at work and my wife, coincidentally, at that time, worked at the daycare and talk about blessings or coincidences. Ariana and Olivia's teacher was running late that day. So, or dayar teacher or whatever. So Laticia was in their class that morning and I remember Laticia says that she gave her an apple when the while they were eating breakfast and after she took a bite of the apple she just her seizure started she started convulsing and's just say she just grabbed Ariana and ran out and ran out of the daycare and she says there was a car

parked in the front doing a drop off, I guess, of their kids. And she just jumped in the car and was like, take me to medical and the car took her to medical. And she called me while she was jumped to a stranger's car. Yeah. Take there's me and my kid take me to the Yeah, so they took her. I guess medical in the Navy thing is the, I guess, on-base hospital. Yeah, on-base clinic or on-base emergency room or whatever. And so it was just like across the, there was like a soccer field between me,

between my office and medical. So like I was running across the field and I remember just seeing my wife, like where I remember seeing this car, like with hazard lights, just speeding, which would turn out being my wife, the car my wife was in. And then I get to medical and Ariana is not responsive,

so they thought she was brain dead because of how long her seizure was So they called a Japanese you know, we call they sent us to a Japanese hospital so a Japanese ambulance came and picked us up and I remember as soon as they like pushed her in the car. I'm popped up like nothing had happened. She just like sat up You look at your like what's the fuss? Yeah, like what's going on? And so let DCI and Ariana ride in the Japanese ambulance and I ride in a car behind them. So they take

us to a Japanese hospital. They do a CT scan with a translator. They sent us with a translator. And I remember the doctor came out and Ariana's just being normal now. She's drinking juice eating a snack and I remember the doctor coming out and Trying to tell us in English like your daughter has a tumor and I remember me and my wife just looking at each other like I don't think he's saying The right word like I don't think, like I appreciate you trying to speak English, but I think you're messing up here. Like you're not saying what you need to say. You just can't believe it.

Right. And I remember we're like, tell the translator, like that's why she's here and let her tell us. So he tells the translator in Japanese and I just remember the translator turning around like with her eyes filled with water or with tears just looking nice. Having to give you that news.

And she you know, she's like, he's saying that she has a brain tumor. And you know, and so we, we elected to go back to the States on a, you know, we got Medevac out of the United, or out of Japan back to the States. So our member, so the seizure was June 29th and they, they Medevac to South, July 5th. It was right after 4th of July, our last holiday in Japan was 4th of July. We saw the fireworks on base and the next morning we flew out. At this point, you know it's a tumor and you know that's bad. But you don't really know what kind of tumor, what to expect or anything at this point. At this point, all we know is there's a mass.

There's a mass in your cell and your cell's head. In our cerebellum. Which is right next to your brain. Terrifying. But we're going to get met a vac, we're going back to Texas and we're going to find somebody and we're going to get this fix, we're going to beat it. Right. So what you got to be thinking, right?

Yeah, so. And your other daughter is out? Olivia, so Olivia was a year old when all this has happened. So you're this young couple with a three- old to one year old in Japan with a sick child That's it's got to be hard. There's tough. I remember that first phone call home. I Mean just crying to my mom and dad and let DC out too, you know, cuz we just we were terrified. We didn't know what to expect Which is gotta be Not to minimize your story at all, but on a 30,000

foot view. That's got to be common. I mean, I'm going to tell you something. Okay. My son Max is my youngest. All right. He's a meathead. Pretty good football player and baseball player. And his junior year in high school. After I coached a manassus, I was really fortunate that I got to coach my kids in school. And so his junior in high school, I was, I was a coach on his high school team. And in the first quarter, I'm on the sideline. And it's actually a kickoff coverage. We'd scored. And Max runs down to make a tackle. And he swings around the guys hip. And he's kind of helicoptering. You know, you can hope, you

know, if you hope people bother their arms and swing around and people kind of helicopter. And as he helicopter to side hit a guy's knee and it and Max is for better worse, pretty tough. And I'd never since seen him play football in every sport since six years old. He always thought it was weeny to lay on the field. He's like get up and get off field wine on the sideline, you know? That was kind of his meat-head mentality. Well, he stayed down for a few seconds, got up on a knee, took a couple of steps, got back down to a knee, gathered himself and jarged off, and I'll watch that and I'm like, whatever he's fine. So I keep coaching and the team doctor comes to me and says,

So I keep coaching and the team doctor comes to me and says, Hey, man, can't let Max go back in. I think he's bruised a rib, maybe cracked one. After the game, we'll take him to the office and have him x-rayed. And I'm like, fine, he was our shorten safety. It wasn't a good thing. And I was more frustrated that we had to pull him out of game, right? And I was like, and I kind of, I remember

look back at him, my shoulder at him and get eye contact with him. I was like, you was. Get back out there dude. What is wrong with you? He grabs this helmet, starts running back on the field and the doc is like, no, I'm serious not.

So anyway, another five, six minutes pass, Doc comes back to me, says, now I'm positive he's got broken ribs. There's a lot of pain here. And he said, I think we need to go on and take him to hospital now. And Lisa and the kids, his siblings were sitting in the second or third row where they always did.

And I said, well, there's Lisa. I got a game to coach out. And I said, dooses, weenie. Yeah. Go get your rib sex right. He died on the way to the hospital. Oh my gosh. He coded.

He's alive. But he blood out. And we didn't know that. He passed out and then he came back and Lisa and Molly and Will, the siblings pushed him into the emergency room and they put him in a wheelchair and put him in a hallway and Lisa was like, you don't understand he doesn't want to cross. Something's really bad. It doubled over, writhing and pain and then he went out again and Lisa screamed

and a nurse came by, put the stessoscope on his heart and she said, O-S, and hit a button, blue lights go off and max it dead. They put them on the gurney, they revive him again. A guy, a kid his body I think has about seven liters of blood in his body. They put six in him. He was bleeding internally, blood out. They didn't know.

And they put him on a helicopter and flew him to the region one, the trauma center. And they cut him open and saved his life. And he had two collapsed lungs, three broken ribs, and a spleen had exploded. And we almost lost them. And at halftime, we'll actually start a third quarter. I don't know any of this going on. I'm gonna coach a football. Somebody calls steam doc and he comes to me and he says,

hey man, you need to get to the hospital. I'm like, what? Football. Like, Max is on a helicopter is being lifelighted in. And Lisa and the kids are speeding. And I'm like, for a broken rim, they said, look, man, I don't know what it is. I literally get to the hospital. And Lisa is running up the sidewalk from where she parked. I just parked in the street. And the hospital, the helicopter is landing with Max in at all the same time.

And we go in and this trauma surgeon comes in. And he's sleeved with tats and he's got on Rex Pax. He's wearing about 80 gold jewelry. He looks like a white middle-aged version of Mr. T. And I'm like, my dad, my kids dead. They've ran out of surgeons. And they brought in the guy from the motor pool to walk on my kid That's what I thought and he said he's in trouble. I don't have time to explain. I'm gonna do everything I can to save his life

And we sat there for six hours thinking Max was gone Dude to this day it affects me. It is the most terrified I've ever been in my life about anything. But I got him back. I cannot fathom having a one-year-old and a three-year-old and having to get on a plane for Japan and fly to Texas and call your parents and go to a hospital. I had to experience it five hours, the unknown, and the worry. You're telling me you experienced it for a week? Longer than that for like three weeks, three or four weeks, we didn't find it. Wondering if your child's gonna... We didn't know what kind of...

So we didn't know anything other than like I said, she had a mass. They, you know, they told us, we got two neurosurgeons in the military, two pediatric neurosurgeons in the military. You can either go to Hawaii or go to San Antonio. Clearly no one can drive our family can drive. No, San Antonio, because family. Yeah, so everyone can drive in San Antonio and see her.

So we get to San Antonio. Her first appointment is July 10th. I remember all these dates like yesterday. So her first appointment is July 10th. We bring her in for an MRI. My mom and my dad and my mother-in-law are there already. So they bring her in for an MRI. We try and figure out what's going on. And July 10th, they tell us that, or no, her first MRI was July 8th. They tell us that she has ATRT, which stands for atypical teratoid,

rabdoid tumor. Wait, say that one more time. Atypical teratoid, rabdoid tumor. And that is, what does that mean? So that's the type of brain tumor that she had. And at that time in 2009, it only appeared 38 times a year around the world.

So it's extremely rare. So we're talking crazy rare. And the rarest forms of diseases, unfortunately, don't have that much research about them, because they're so rare. Right. It took them three weeks to diagnose it. So we didn't get the diagnosis till July 31st. And when they gave you that diagnosis, what did they tell you was the prognosis? So like I said, Ariana had just turned three in April. This is July. They told us that Ariana would

never turn four and then they told us that the best case scenario was 13 months of life on treatment. And at that point, so they told us July 31st, August 1st, we went in for the consultation with the doctors. And at that point, we had already Googled everything and did everything that we needed to do. It's 2009, so everyone had access to the internet at that time.

And everything that we researched, everything that we looked up led us to St. Jude. We'll be right back. What is this place? Wait, why my handcuffs? What am I doing here? 13 days of Halloween, Penance. Season 4 of the award-winning horror fiction podcast presented in immersive 3D audio. Where am I?

Why, this is the Pendleton. All residents, please return to your habitation. Like stuff on your feet. You're new here, so I'll say it once. No talking. Starring Natalie Morales of Parks and Recreation and Dead to Me. Am I under arrest?

We don't like to use that word. Can I leave of my own free will? Not at this time. So this is a prison name. No, it's a rehabilitation center. Premiering October 19th, ending Halloween. I'm going to get out. And how may I ask for you going to do that?

Escape. Listen to 13 days of Halloween on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Mo Raka, and I'm excited to announce season four of my podcast, Mo Bituaries. I've got a whole new bunch of stories to share with you about the most fascinating people and things who are no longer with us. From famous figures who died on the very same day, to the things I wish would die, like buffets. People actually

take little tastes along the way with their fingers. Oh, they do. Oh, no, I'm so sorry. Do you need a minute? This is the only interview where I've needed a spit bucket. I'm so sorry. We'll tell you about the singer who helped define cool and the sports world's very first superstar. To call Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete in American history is not a stretch because no athlete before a sinc is done, what he did. Listen to Mobituaries with Moroca on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Are you looking to carve out your own spiritual path and connect with a higher power? Maybe you're on a quest for meaning purpose or a sense of belonging. Perhaps you grew up in a religion that doesn't quite align with who you are right now, or maybe you've lost your connection to God and want to find your way back.

Or if you're like a lot of people, you're simply trying to make sense of a world that sometimes seems overwhelming and confusing. Welcome to what's God Got To Do With It, a podcast with a fresh and relatable take on spirituality and faith. I'm your host, Leanne Ellington, and this podcast was designed to be a place where you can meet yourself exactly where you are on your own journey,

without judgment or shame, and without worrying about whether you're doing it air quotes right. It's your spiritual safe space, where skepticism and doubt are welcome. It's a place where faith meets science and miracles meet real life all while inviting you into the conversation that your heart, soul and spirit needs. Listen to what God got to do with it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You said earlier when you were in Wellington that you would drop by and see these, I don't

know what color they pink. Buildings? They're like a pinkish ceramic like purlish building. I shouldn't say that they're pink. Anyway, drop passie. You did you look down on these buildings? They're nice. They're the nicest buildings in Memphis. It's the nicest campus on earth, but they're pink or something. So anyway, you drop, look, your perspective when you were here in Millington, you drove by some pink buildings and thought, where do they get those poor families?

That's the point I'm trying to make, right? Not about today's pink buildings, but back then that was your thought. And so, the irony of ironies, you're in San Antonio and you are one of these poor families that they get. And you've been told your kid's gonna die. First, I mean, could you even see straight? You had to have just been wrought with pain. And second, unfortunately, that's the news parents

all over the world get every day. And the hopelessness and let's do talk. I mean, our number one job, right, is protect our family. Our number one job is we're gonna honor and protect our wives and honor and protect our children and something like that strips your ability to even do that. I mean, I guess I'm asking what was going on inside of you. Forget Google, forget the research. I'm talking about the emotion.

You had to just been dying inside. Yeah. about the emotion, you had to just been dying inside. Yeah, I mean, it was... It was terrifying, right? Cause you don't... You know, one of the things that I was thinking about when you were asking me about my dad and like, you know, and you started talking about your kids. I think every parent's goal is to afford your own kids

better opportunities that you had. You know, this is something that I stress to my daughter every day, that she has better opportunities opportunities that you had. You know, this is something that I stress to my daughter every day, that she has better opportunities that I ever had, and that I hope that she takes advantage of those. So in a situation like this, where I have no control of what's gonna happen to Ariana,

because I've lost her health now. Like, and I think health is the most important thing that you can have. And I think health is the most important thing that you can have. And I can't protect her, I can't stop this cancer or this tumor, I can't... I don't know what the right answer is. And so you guys decided St. Jude was the place to go. We did. When did you get to St. Jude?

August 2nd, 2009. August 2nd. Yeah. Clearly, we're not wasting any time, right? Right. So, at night 31st, we get the diagnosis. August 1st, we have the consultation. Well, that's three weeks.

June, July 9th, August 2nd. Well, from Japan, yeah. From Japan. Yeah, from Japan. June 29th, August 2nd, is a month. Yeah, a month. Okay, a month. June 20th. So literally you're in Japan going about life, doing life and a month later You found out your daughters got this rare cancer disease in her head and you've been a San Antonio and now you're back in Memphis Mm-hmm

And when you get to St. Jude you come here with your wife, you're one year old, and you're back in Memphis. And when you get to St. Jude, you come here with your wife, your one year old, and your three year old, and your expectation is that you're gonna have your daughter for a year. Best case, that's what you show up to St. Jude with, what you found when he got here. Let me tell you a quick story about Dr. Gajar. He is the head of neural oncology the eclinic and again, leading researcher and so many different types of brain tumors.

I don't know how he even has time to sleep or eat just how busy he looks having been around him now, but Anyway, we got here August 2nd of 2009. So, you know, I was trying to show you how busy this person is, right? And we get here August 2nd, 2009 at 10 o'clock at night. And Dr. Gajar is in the lobby waiting for us to greet us. And I just, I remember the overwhelming sense of relief to see him there and feel that he cared. You know, thanks to donors and supporters, St. Jude families don't pay a dime. And what else don't they pay a dime for?

They don't pay a dime for treatment, housing, food, or travel. And... Treatment, housing, food, and travel. Not only do they treat your kids, they don't do it for money, they raise the money, they actually take care of the family too, because the family's also going to the trauma,

which I think is one of the secrets and the sauce behind this whole place is they treat the whole family. Yeah, absolutely. He filled love and that piece of community that you would have never had exist here. Mm-hmm. But yeah, I remember just walking through the door

and after researching statistics and survival rates, I just remember the first question I asked Dr. Gajar was, what percentage of survival do you give my daughter? And he said, I don't treat numbers. I treat kids and I promise to do everything I can to save your daughter's life. Wow, I don't treat numbers. I treat people.

That is one extraordinary doctor at one of the most extraordinary places in the world, St. Jude. That concludes part one of my conversation with Enrique and I hope you listen to part two that's now available as his story is far from over. But first, we're trying to raise more support for St. Jude and honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September. With St. Jude, we set up a community donation at St. Jude dot org backslash normal folks. If we can help grow and even larger army of normal folks supporting St. Jude, we'll be one step closer to the day, when no child dies from cancer. One cure closer, one child closer.

This month and every month, let's cure childhood cancer together. Our producer, Alex, is already contributing 20 bucks a month and Lisa and I are also doing a monthly contribution and I hope you'll join us at any level you can at www.saintjude.org, backslashnormalfokes. I'll see you in part two. 13 Days of Halloween Penance. Season 4 of the award-winning horror fiction podcast presented in immersive 3D audio. If I am under arrest, you have to tell me what I'm charged with. Starring Natalie Morales of Parks and Recreation and Dead To Me. Please, you've been some kind of mistake. I'm not supposed to be here.

How do you know? I'm innocent. Are any of us truly innocent? Primering October 19th, ending Halloween. Listen to 13 Days of Halloween on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join former 90210 star Brian Austin Greene, along with Dancing with the Stars' fan favorite Sharna Burgess, and Hollywood air-turned-life coach Randy Spelling, as they navigate life, love, and the quest for happiness in the new podcast, Oldish.

After a few high-profile relationships in a very public divorce, have I finally found the secret to happiness and the key to a successful relationship? That's hype-sire, because my stuff that is with me. Listen to Oldish on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Mo Raaka, and I'm excited to announce season 4 of my podcast, MoBituary's. or wherever you get your podcasts. same day. To the things I wish would die. Like buffets. Listen to MoPituaries with MoRaka on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.