Enough Is Enough!

When I was in the 5th grade I had Mr. Houchens (Houtchens?) and his favorite saying when he got fed up with us squirrely, energetic 11 year olds... itching at getting to the 6th grade and being rulers of the school (at 12) was this... in a very loud, very very loud way: "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH".  

It prompted my best pal Danielle and I to take in a hand held tape recorder (remember those?) and time the Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand song "No More Tears", to start at the part where they sing "Enough is enough"... right after that.  So Mr. Houtchens would yell "Enough is enough!" and we turned on that baby to go "is enough is enough is enough".  We got some time in the hall for that little antic.  Good times.  Good times indeed.

Fast forward to today - when I woke up to whining dogs, ready to eat at 5:30, and "gently" nudged Jeff to go feed them, I picked up my semi-wonderful iPhone (because we all know that Siri is the best iPhone) to see what was awaiting me in my work email.  I opened up all of my mailboxes at once and found an email update from Caring Bridge.  We had a Caring Bridge for Jeff's mom after her stroke, I created one for my friend Angie after her accident a year and a half ago, we were subscribed to Austins' updates when he had his leg amputated and was battling cancer... and then there's my friend Pat.  

I met Pat when I went to work at the school district.  He's a few years older than me, has a middle schooler and a senior (whom is betrothed to my Zach Attack) and a beautiful, funny and equally as crass and wicked as myself, wife - Robin.  Throughout most of my life, most of my closest friends have been guys.  Maybe it's my love of sports, or the fact that I hate shopping that makes that all work.  Pat and me?  Our friendship blossomed over my love of Adam Morrison... and his jackassy need to make fun of my infatuation - back in the day.  Stache and all.  We talked sports, he would swear a lot and I would follow suit.

Four years ago Patty had a sign that a trip to the doctor was in need... he followed that up with an immediate check in at the hospital and a kidney removed.   They found cancer in him... and not some regular cancer - but rather, one that was most often found in children.  Over the past four years he's had countless surgeries, bouts with chemotherapy and radiation and all the while his wife and daughters have stood tall,  laughed and joked their way through this using laughter as the best medicine.  They had faith.  And he's beat it time and again.

But the hernia he was diagnosed with just before Christmas was not, in fact, a hernia.  The "C" word is back and it's spread to his lungs.  The tumor that was diagnosed as a hernia is inoperable.  Robin posted on Caring Bridge that Pat said to her "It's been a good run."  Fuck that.  Pardon my french (yes, I know that's not really french).  No... don't pardon it.  I mean it... fuck. that.  Where is God now?  

You've never met a more accepting, fun, wildly insane, spontaneous, clever FAMILY than Pat, Robin, Erin and Gina.  No family should have to endure the wicked that is "cancer"... but we all will be touched by it.  But it should never "happen" to those who are still watching their kids grow up.  So should it discriminate?  Absolutely...  IF it has to be out there - they why not?  Manifest itself in criminals, people already in jail, killers (except Dexter), deadbeats, addicts...  and so on.

So where's Tom Houtchens when you need him to yell... a mighty, fierce and deserved "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!"  I raise my fist to you... the one who is making the decisions that are affecting my friends, family, me - over these past 5 months or so.

You're apparently not listening...