congratulations, doctor dennis

dennis liked to finish what he started.  for example, when i’d ask him for help on a math problem, he wouldn’t stop going through old lecture notes until he figured out how to get the answer.  or when my dad would buy another addition to our wannabe home theatre, dennis wouldn’t go to bed until he thoroughly reviewed the instructions and literature and had everything installed.  when everything was all hooked up, all the packaging thrown out, and all the furniture moved back into place at 2 in the morning, dennis would celebrate his accomplishment by watching the terminator with the speakers turned way up.  

some things never change.  dennis began work on his doctor of pharmacy at the uw school of pharmacy while i was a junior undergrad.  right after his first year, he got cancer.  a year and a half later, he died. true to form, dennis tried to return to school a couple of times during his treatment, but the physical toll of chemotherapy wouldn’t allow him to stay awake long enough to study.  

he was a big dreamer though: my parents, dennis, and i talked about throwing a big party after his graduation.  we talked about him getting married and starting a family.  talked about him becoming a doctor, and how great it’d be for my parents — both with little formal education — to have two sons with graduate degrees.  

dennis liked to finish what he started.  yesterday, dennis was posthumously awarded his doctor of pharmacy from the 5th best school of pharmacy in the country, at what would have been his graduation ceremony.  the dean gave a beautiful address to the enormous audience, and my parents and i were happily surprised to hear him talk about dennis for much of that address.  like he said, dennis chose to live his life as if everything was a miracle.  quite miraculous to me is how gracious and kind the school of pharmacy has been to my family over the past couple of years, and though they of course didn’t have to, they chose to honor dennis with his degree.  as i walked on stage to receive the degree on my brother’s behalf, i looked out at the huge crowd and soaked in the loud, thunderous applause for dennis’s accomplishment and after the ceremony, my parents were still trying to wipe away their bittersweet tears. my mom said she thought it was just going to be a certificate — no, it was a real doctor of pharmacy awarded to my brother.  

we still threw a party for dennis after graduation.  it was a big party for us. and my parents — true to form — elected to eat at a little chinese restaurant near their home in seatac because my mom had a $10 off coupon that expired at the end of the month.  congratulations dennis — you earned it.