Not a joking matter

After the initial onset of a new strain of Influenza A H1N1 – otherwise known as the Swine Flu – in the midst of March, there was an uproar of concern – fueled mostly by the media – over what they believed could become a worldwide pandemic. In April, the U.S. Government urged Americans to suspend all “non-essential” travel to Mexico because of the Swine Flu. School trips to Mexico were being canceled across the country, including those at Michigan State and Central Michigan universities, as high school/college students on those trips were the leading harbinger of the disease's appearance in the U.S. There was legitimate concern throughout the country.

Fast-forward a few months and the attitude has completely changed. In the face of only 19 confirmed deaths in the United States as a result of the disease and only 99 World-Health-Organization-confirmed deaths worldwide, much of the concern – especially in the United States – has for the most part faded into the footnotes of history.

In fact, you can even google “Swine Flu jokes” and you will get pages upon hundreds of pages of legitimate results. Here's a few samples:

“It was once said a black man will be president when pigs fly... 100 days into Obama's presidency, swine flu!”.

“'Did you hear Kermit the Frog is sick?' 'Yeah, He got Swine Flu from Ms. Piggie, when he was asked about it he replied, "(She) told me she was clean."' ”

"The only known cure for Swine Flu has been found to be the liberal application of oinkment."
The Swine Flu may have become a laughing matter for a lot of people, but not Jordan Weiner, a pitcher at Robert F. Kennedy High School in New York City.

On May 22, Jordan struck out 14 batters and only missed a perfect game by base runner allowed on a passed ball in a playoff game as RFK won 10-0.

On May 21, he buried his father, Mitchell Weiner, after he died from the Swine Flu the previous Sunday. Mitchell is the only New York resident to have died from the disease and only one of 19 Americans.

But Mitchell Weiner is not merely a statistic. He is a father and a husband and a son, who shared a deep love of the game of baseball with his own son. In this context, 19 is not just a number; it represents 19 separate lives that were lost, lives of daughters and sons, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and friends and family. The loss of any single life is important to worry about.

The Swine Flu is not just some abstract idea to Jordan. It is not an over-hyped disease to Jordan. It is not a media concoction to Jordan. It is certainly not a joke to Jordan. It is the disease that took his father's life.

Words cannot describe how strong Jordan must be to go out and pitch an absolute gem the day after his father was put to rest. It would have been absolutely acceptable for Jordan to hang up the spikes for the rest of the season and try to cope with his and his family's loss. The loss of a parent is a devastating ordeal, and though I have not experienced such a tragedy, the mere thought of it is enough to chill my bones to the core.

But instead, Jordan went out and did what his father would want him to do: just play ball.
“I came out and won today for my father,” he said in an article written by Five Boro Sports. “Whenever I got flustered, I cleared my mind of every negative thought, and I just pitched to the best of my abilities. I know he wanted me to play today and I pitched the game of my life for him.”

You certainly did Jordan, you certainly did. And whether or not you believe in angels is irrelevant in this instance; there is no way you can deny that something special happened at that ball game and that the influence of his father was alive and strong within Jordan.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/sports/more/Swine-Flu-Victims-Son-Pitches-No-Hitter-Day-After-Funeral.html
http://www.fiveborosports.com/ssp/news?news_id=2856
http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS291US313&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=swine+flu+jokes
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/27/begins-passive-screening-swine-flu-borders/

Think I made some great points? Did I say something that you disagree with? Anything that you think I missed? Let me know: comment below.