My NaNoWriMo novel this year will be about the illegal distribution of a miraculous cure-all, a panacea that uses nanotechnology to essentially reboot you from a clean DNA set. (Don't sweat the science, this will be more Douglas Adams than Michael Crichton) It will get spread without warning, and I want to use quick panaches of people waking up healed.
I need those people. Sure, I could make them all up, pull names from a phone booth or one of the online name generators, but why do that when there are so many bizarre characters right here?
So, line up. Who wants to get healed in my book? Maladies can be real or fictional, name versions are used at your discretion.
[ October 16, 2003, 10:41 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Katharina Zamboni - healed of restrictive cardiomyopathy.
Posted by msquared (Member # 4484) on :
Mark Miller, fix my eyes and my allergies.
msquared
Posted by Zan (Member # 4888) on :
Zan Bates - can you stop the voices in my head?
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
You can use my name--Dan Raven or Dan Davis (who believes that Dan Davis is not a made up name.
Disease--I believe I am a walking talking Thyroid. You can cure me of, yes, my "Delusions of Glandure". Otherwise, chronic Sinusittis is about it.
Oh, and I should loose a few (20 or 30) pounds.
[ October 16, 2003, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Dan_raven ]
Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
Jeff Massey - Got anything for back pain? (seriously, anyone got anything?)
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I should mention - if you want to keep your names private, feel free to e-mail me. I'll respect all confidences and show you how I use your name before I post it anywhere. Some will be panaches, some will be mentions as part of a group, who knows? Last year's book had a character named Slash Bowles...
Personal situations may be edited for amusement value Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'm still trying to decide which is funnier, Kat's name or Dan's "Delusions of Glandure". Both elicited a snort from me.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
I don't get it -- why would anyone want his name in a book?
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Have you been watching Jake 2.0 on UPN? Plot has interesting paralells. Of course it is on at the same time as West Wing which kind of sucks.
*lower lip starts to tremble* But that's my name... Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
Nick Mayo. My right ankle is pretty messed up because of all the time I idiotically tried to skateboard in my Middle School years. Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
What about all those poor children who get to stay home from school because they're sick? Now I guess they have to go back to school.
I didn't know you were writing a tragedy.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Nick Mayo is a great "funny character with disease" name. Mayo just lends itself so nicely to comedy.
How about Kira Apple? Apple's a GREAT last name! and I can have something like...sensitive ears! That whenever I fly on airplanes I have clogged ears for days afterwards! ANd then i fly on an airplane after the cure and i am so happy to not be completely incapacitated by bad earness that I hijack the plane to the Bahamas!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Grey Poupon--suffers from jaundice.
quote:*lower lip starts to tremble* But that's my name...
It's official, kat wins!
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Comedian rushes on the stage. "Doctor, Doctor. It hurts whenever I do this...oh wait.. no it doesn't. Gee. This isn't funny anymore."
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
CEOs of pharmeceutical companies will all commit suicide by jumping out of their top-floor-office windows.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
quote: Nick Mayo is a great "funny character with disease" name. Mayo just lends itself so nicely to comedy.
I'm not trying to be funny. That's my real name. Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
The book will be about a group of scientists who discover this cure and are split on whether to release it or not. The son of the scientist most against spreading it early will get ahold of it and add it to a shampoo formula where he works. Then I get to let him deal with involuntarily imposed health, and the effects this has on society. Pharmaceutical companies get pissed, supermodels wake up with their original breasts, hysterectomies get reversed, there's the overpopulation problem, etc. And lawsuits. Lots and lots of lawsuits.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
I know it's your real name, Nick. That doesn't change the fact that it lends itself to comedy quite nicely. So does mine! Come on! APPLE?
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
So basically, your miraculous cure-all doesn't "cure everything" so much as expell all unnatural things from the body? So would people not be able to wear contact lenses? Hearing aids? Braces? Posted by Toretha (Member # 2233) on :
Toretha Powers, could you make my tailbone go at the right angle? (this problem is called coxidia, but I don't think I spell it right, since I've never seen it written and the doctor only said the word twice, then ingored me)
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Noemon, I think it is one of her real names. I always think of her delightful "P" last name, but I've seen Zamboni before/
But I rolled with "Grey Poupon's" jaundice.
Chris, call me what you well. I need the following fixed, ASAP:
Hearing loss Tone deafness Incompetant aortic valve (cadaver replacement x 2) Dilated aorta (now a bionic replacement part!) Flat feet Hammertoes Depression
(hey, you'd be depressed, too, if you had my body to deal with )
Keep the white streak at the temple, little freckle at base of right pinky, and laugh lines at the corners of the eyes. They're my beauty marks. Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
*hugs CT very, very carefully* You're a treasure.
*grin* KatharinaZamboni is my AIM handle. However, I no longer have a computer with AIM, so it languishes and languishes.
It came from an e-mail made up a million years ago. I hate having numbers in addresses, so last names are better. The first name was Francesca (after my Latin prof), but I wanted a last name that would balance out the girly and the frilly of Francesca, and Zamboni is a rough, bloody embodiment of masculinity contained in what is inherently a very, very funny word.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Yay! I wanna be in a book!!
Abby Lehrke (pronounced Lurk-y)
And I have asthma. If you are so inclined, you can have me throw my inhaler into a lake, and then run five laps around it.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Amy Powers - She has a severe skin problem that has rendered her an ugly and embittered feminist. She wrote a book about how men do not take women seriously. She has become very powerful, an awed icon of the feminist movement who, despite being a victim of a skin disease, has overcome the odds and is now a bitchy CEO of a major corporation.
Take away the skin problem and she is stunning. Also, she didn't wear a bra when she was young, so gravity really did take its toll on her. When she is healed of all ailments, she will have quite a figure.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Toretha: Coccidia are intestinal parasites. Might you have coccydynia? (Literally, this is "pain or discomfort of the coccyx, i.e., tailbone")
katharina:
[ October 16, 2003, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
Lindsay Sutton--get rid of my outrageously high triglycerides, please. Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
me-- Give me the body of Adonis.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Woops, the Powers last name was already taken. Hmmm, lets see... Lancing. Yes, Amy Lancing. Or Kinsley. Amy Kinsley. Amy Bobkins. Amy Johanson. Amy Fellwerwal.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
One interesting comparison. A few weeks ago the History Channel was running a special on Quacks, Doctors, and Miracle Men.
I watched them talk about the first man to find a cure for Syphillus. He fathered the modern pharmacuetical industry. He created the first "Silver Bullet" pill.
He died hated and broke.
It seems his cure for Syphillus angered a bunch of people--the Quacks selling medicines that did not work, the Moralists who saw Syphillus as God's judgement on the wicked, and the Charities and Rest Homes that gathered great amounts of money to take care of sick Syphilillu patients.
Add to that his instructions on how to use the medication (which contained a small amount of an Arsenic compound, so was deadly in larger doses) and on whom to use it for (patients in the early stages of the disease, not those who were greatly afflicted) were ignored by doctors who thought they knew all the answers, and ended up with dead patients.
He was hounded, sued, and verbally beaten over and over again.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:It seems his cure for Syphillus angered a bunch of people--the Quacks selling medicines that did not work, the Moralists who saw Syphillus as God's judgement on the wicked, and the Charities and Rest Homes that gathered great amounts of money to take care of sick Syphilillu patients.
Medicine has been conflicted with various forms of morality since the beginning. Strange and sad.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Leonide - think of it more like how Alvin changed Arthur Stuart, from the dna out. It will - and keep in mind this is silly fiction - examine your dna, compare it to a known "good" set, and then basically reset you. Any ailments you've acquired since birth will get overwritten, any genetic problems will get fixed. I'll get into a few specifics (birth control still works, but hysterectomies and vasectomies will grow back; breast implants won't be expelled but plastic surgery will be erased, it may even regrow missing limbs, haven't decided yet) but for the most part if science and narrative fiction disagree, I'll be going with the fiction. Haven't decided yet about the trickier questions. If you have a donated kidney and yours grows back, what happens to the old one? Whatif you gave this to a chimp, who matches our dna up to 99%? Things like that.
[ October 16, 2003, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Kira Marx (or Gardner – my maiden name). I would love to have my PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) cured so that I could easily have many babies. I’m also Rh-negative and would prefer not to be, again because of the baby issue (I’m married to an Rh-positive and have to take an Rh inhibitor after every pregnancy so that my body doesn’t reject an Rh-positive baby).
Andrew Marx is colorblind and would love a cure. He always wanted to join the air force, which is not a possibility if you’re colorblind. Or if you’re 6’5’’, which he is.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
ClaudiaTherese - I may have to write this book just to heal you. Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quote:She has a severe skin problem that has rendered her an ugly and embittered feminist.
I'm not sure I like the implication - feminists object to a world of being judged solely on their aesthetic qualities because they are too ugly to succeed in it?
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I'd also like to point out that I know of no other forum where so many people are comfortable releasing their real names. I love this place...
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
katherina - IMO, that statement doesn't imply that all feminists have the same core origin, only that that's what caused this one. I'm overweight because I'm too lazy to exercise, but that doesn't mean I think all fat people are lazy.
[ October 16, 2003, 12:38 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Okay. Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Chris and katharina: Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
Olivia Fowler, polycystic kidney disease. I have it, though it has not affected my health yet. My mom has had a kidney transplant, and my father died from heart complications resulting from the disease and extended hemo dialysis. Nasty stuff.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I'm Nathan Novak and I have a hormone problem that makes me look like this guy.
Do you think you can help me out, Chris? I need a date.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
T, its better than having a disease that makes you look like this guy. Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Well, I'm assuming that these nanotech machines have been programmed with someone's idea of "clean DNA". So, let's assume (as many do) that homosexuality is a genetically rooted phenomenon. Let's assume that your nanotech programmer feels (as many do) that it is an undesirable genetic anomaly. So, if he programmed the nanotechs to eradicate whatever genetic component makes me gay, I could very well wake up straight. That would certainly make my life rather chaotic.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Rivka Katzin. Scoliosis (mild), rheumatoid arthritis (juvenile onset), plethora of respiratory allergies which cause a chronic cough, family tendency to type II diabetes.
[Edit: oh! Almost forgot! Very nearsighted. Make me not need glasses or contacts anymore, please. ]
[ October 16, 2003, 02:59 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
KarlEd brings up a good point, actually.
If these nanobots are comparing to a SINGLE set of DNA (which is the simplest scenario), then not only could it change sexual preference (assuming that is genetic), but a whole lot of other things.
Gender. Skin color. Eye and hair color. Height. Handedness.
And you can't just have it skip X/Y chromosomes, not if you want it to fix color-blindness, hemophilia, etc.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
I started another thread on whether or not homosexuality was genetically preditermined.
As to have the stereotype feminist, my point was to be stereotypical.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Dana Williams – asthma, eyesight so bad I’m ineligible for lasiks, and a mild tremor in my left arm and leg. Also I can’t straighten my left elbow fully after shattering it in seventh grade.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
dkw, your name sounds like it BELONGS in a book. It's just so...anonymous sounding.
My last name is cause for several guffaws, so I won't even put it here (hint, it's in my email address). That would be an awful thing for your book.
Here's a great Italian one for you, loosely based on my name: Cecilia Baldacci. she's a lovely 'Italian Bird' with hyperthyroidism that makes her constantly have sweat stains and excruciatingly severe body odor.
Then there's Cecily Fitzgerald. She has brain-splitting headaches, caused by her tendency to almost be a near diabetic. Definitely in the genes.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quote:As to have the stereotype feminist, my point was to be stereotypical.
I guess I was surprised. I'd never heard of that stereotype, and the most strident over-23 feminists I knew were beautiful, accomplished, educated mothers with happy children, and their husbands.
Is that really the stereotype? I've seriously never heard of that.
No wonder feminist is treated like a bad word. That's rot.
[ October 16, 2003, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
sara elizabeth ellis.
severe asthma since toddler. spinal and thoracic cage subluxation. nearly fatal allergy to cats. a red dot on the bridge of my nose Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Beautiful women do have confidence and also make pretty good feminists. But when we had satellite TV there was a free speech channel that aired a movie about feminists. Most of these women were actually ugly, and they hated men with a passion that was frightening.
But yes, there is the ugly feminist stereotype. There is also the bitchy female CEO type. I kind of combined the two. It certainly isn't the only stereotype. There is also the beautiful man hater hiding in a suit and bad haircut stereotype.
There is also the supermom stereotype.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Those are some of the points I plan to bring up, which is why this will be a lot of fun to write. The makers wouldn't want to make everyone identical so the "ideal" dna would have to be broadly defined. There will be some genetic drift left alone. But would it "fix" overly violent men?
And no matter how I portray the effects on gay people, it'll get spun by the various interest groups, just as it would in real life. If homosexuality is proven to be completely genetic, gays will see it as justification that they're just as natural as anyone else and detractors will define it as a genetic malfunction which should be targeted and eliminated. If homosexuality is proven to be learned, gays will use that to prove it's not a disease, and detractors will scorn it is a self-indulgent lifestyle choice. I tend to see sexual orientation, like just about every other mental/physical trait, as a combination of genetics, learned behavior and choice.
What I plan to do is program the nanobots with a basic DNA strand and a carefully measured level of tolerance, which will probably require more research than I was hoping to have to do. Can it fix Down's Syndrome but leave handedness alone? Can it cure hemophilia but leave artistic ability, or take away the passed-on propensity for breast cancer but leave the passed-on affinity for atheletics? And so on.
There will be people it cannot cure because it doesn't get specific enough, and at some point I'll have to sit down and come up with a list of what stays and what goes.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Kat, sadly that is the stereotype that I am familiar with. For example, in college one self-professed feminist told me that I'm an ignorant slave to an oppressive male-dominated society when I mentioned that I was going to have my nails done. When she heard that I was engaged (this was the second time - not to Dr.M), she told me that I was setting back the womens' movement 50 years and that if I was going to be Betty Housewife (her exact term), I should drop out of college immediately and get lobodimized. I could go on and on about the ugly and ridiculous things she said to me. She also made a point of neglecting her physical appearance - not brushing her hair, not wearing clean clothes, etc. The incredible thing is that she could not understand why people didn't like her.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
But I've met the supermom stereotype. I've never met the other ones.
quote:the ugly feminist stereotype. There is also the bitchy female CEO type. There is also the beautiful man hater hiding in a suit and bad haircut stereotype.
Where do these stereotypes come from? Hollywood? I've never met any of them! The supermom I've met! The most strident feminist I knew in college was dating the most-adorable-boy-on-campus and was good at everything she tried. Even the professor who didn't have any kids took care of herself and had fabulous taste is classic jewelry. She picked up earrings and necklaces in markets when she traveled around the world.
That's so bizarre. Why are feminists a group that it is okay to stereotype?
Added: Okay. Maybe my experience was unique. Dang it, the longer I live, the cooler my college years turn out to have been.
Still, it's not cool to perpetuate ugly stereotypes.
Mrs. M, when I was in college, I had one professor shake my hand in congratulations when I told him I broke off my engagement. Good thing I wasn't devastated, because it was a little thoughtless, but it was just so funny. He was easily the most strident feminist I've known.
[ October 17, 2003, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: katharina ]
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Down's is an entire extra chromosome (a trisomy) -- that should be easy to fix.
And handedness is not strictly genetic, anyway, now that I think about it.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
dkw-- I can't do the lasik, either. Sucks, don't it? Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I probably could do Lasik, but even if I had the money (hah!) I wouldn't take the risk. Too much chance of side effects and bad outcomes, even with experienced docs.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
I suspect a great deal of the stereotype came from Andrea Dworkin, who could be the poster for strident, man-hating, never-looked-like-a-Barbie-a-day-in-her-life feminist.
People tend to make their impressions of groups from the extreme members of those groups, since they're usually the ones fighting the hardest to be heard. When the second wave of feminism hit in the 60's/70's the feminists getting the most press were the ones advocating the end of the housewife and the uselessness of the male for any reason whatsoever. More rational feminists who merely wanted equality and an end of gender bias didn't have as many good sound bites.
Posted by Black Mage (Member # 5800) on :
Curtis Lincoln-- fix my paranoia and my chronic bronchitis.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
What's going to happen when all the bald people realize that they're yet uncured...?
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
will it cure freckles? Eczema? Snoring? The common cold? Asthma? Hyperventillating? Stupidity? Low IQ? Athelete's foot? Allergies? Cold sores?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Not all of those are genetic. Colds and cold sores are viral; athlete's foot is fungal.
And what, pray tell, is the difference between stupidity and low IQ?
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
My name is Eddie Tannini, and I am lactose intolerant.
But I love cheese! Help!
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Hi, my name is Amy Teegarden, I'd like my asthma, allergies, myopia, depression, and endometriosis cured. And whatever skin disease it is that makes my fingers dry out and crack (Eczema, I think). Leave the lefthandedness if possible.
Does this mean I have to have my wisdom teeth out all over again?
[ October 16, 2003, 06:58 PM: Message edited by: Shigosei ]
Posted by Zotto! (Member # 4689) on :
I'm Jeremy Jose Orbe-Smith. Please fix me so I don't get migraines from trying to get people to pronounce my name correctly.
Getting rid of my glasses would be nice, too.
Posted by Ryan Hart (Member # 5513) on :
Ryan Hart- Huntington's
Posted by fiazko (Member # 5812) on :
rich beta -- carrot allergy and poor night vision
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Ryan, you've got Huntingtons? How are you doing? My brother in law was diagnosed with it a few years ago. It had spread through a couple of his lymph nodes, and apparently wrapped around his heart, so it was a little way along when they discovered it, but he's doing fine now--probably better than he was before. Good luck with it.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
My wife had LASEK surgery about a year and a half ago. It's a newer procedure differs slightly from LASIK, in that it has a longer recovery period, but also has a greater positive impact on the patient's vision (if anyone is interested in the details of how it's different I'll be happy to share them). She was right on the borderline between those who could have the procedure done and those who couldn't, but it worked out really well for her; she went from being legally blind without her glasses to having slightly better than 20/20 vision. Of course, she found the procedure so frightening that she bit down hard enough, during it, that she cracked one of her crowns. If you decide to have this procedure done, I'd recommend taking the valium they offer you before they get you on the table.
After watching the procedure and helping her out during the recovery (she was basically blind for about a week), I can categorically say that I will never have a procedure like that done on me. She's very glad that she had it done, but I would much rather just wear my glasses.
Posted by Maccabeus (Member # 3051) on :
Lee Herndon. Least of my worries--nearsightedness. More importantly, I have scoliosis and kyphosis, for which I had my spine fused. Also, a couple of paralyzed vocal chords, which were basically carved out with a laser.
You know, it might make for a more interesting story if, rather than working from inserted "clean" DNA, it used the individual's own. It would cure injuries and contagious diseases, but genetic syndromes would be left untouched--and some corrective measures would be removed.
If you like the idea, feel free to choke me to death. (I don't know if my vocal chord problem is genetic, but it certainly could be.)
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Noemon, the only Huntington's disease I know of is a degenerative neuropsychiatric disorder. I don't think it can be expressed as wrapping around the heart or in lymph nodes.
And it's usually a very, very difficult diagnosis to deal with. Ryan, you doing okay?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You're right, CT, I don't know what I'm thinking of. I was talking about Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Sorry about that Ryan.
I do know someone with Huntingtons though; a friend of mine's best friend. His is pretty advanced at this point (he's about 50), but his morale has remained good.
[ October 17, 2003, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Maccabeus - I'm going to be setting this up pretty carefully to allow myself a plot that is light-hearted, with serious overtones. I suspect that if millions of people woke up with their corrective measures gone there'd be a lynching, at least. I want my macguffin (the cure) to be overwhelmingly benevolent and as incorruptible as my scientists can make it. If my hero gets sued and ridiculed and ruined after he heals the world, it's much easier to sympathize with him. If he really does slip and expose the world to something that causes as much or more harm than good, then I've gone into Robert Preston/Stephen King waters and I prefer the Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett/Tom Holt pool. And since I don't plan to write a 300,000 word opus, I have to pick and choose which issues I'm going to deal with. This situation, the morals and the science and the ethics, could be argued endlessly, but not by me. Not in 30 days, anyway My story is not going to be "man distributes ultimate cure, world is rocked" but more like "man distributes ultimate cure, gets sued for it."
So my scientists will build a generic DNA reference. It will be there for the nanobots to refer to if they come across anomalies, but it won't have any personal characteristics filled in so those will be left alone.
But please keep asking, this kind of thing helps me figure out plot points
[ October 17, 2003, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Noemon, I'm glad to know that you friend has maintained his morale.
I'm also very glad hear of your brother-in-law's improvement. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Me too. He finally had to stop driving recently, and everyone was worried that he'd be depressed about it, but he just took it in stride.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
My family has a lot of genetic stuff floating around, feel free to choose from:
Substance addiction (alcohol, methamphetemines, nicotine, you name it)
Cancers (bowels, renal, breast, ovarian)
Allergies (big itchy hives! watering eyes! mucosa galore! fun for the whole family!)
Flat feet (boring, but annoying)
Let's give my dad all of this: Robin Allen (not his real last name ) Poor Dad. Also, once he got into a car accident and his big toe was nearly Sliced Off Entirely. He now has a dotted-line scar. Kind of interesting. And he has had his deviated septum fixed...I don't know what that's called...what would happen if it redeviated, would that happen?
Ooh, and my kid, Christopher Robin (yes, that is his real first and middle name, yes, I enjoy the Bear of Very Little Brain), has Enormous Tonsils! Make them smaller please.
I have chronic bronchitis. Boo! And my real name is Jennifer, and you should surely have a Jennifer in your story, because We Are Everywhere!
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 619) on :
I am all ready a newspaper editor in L.A. in someone else's story (someone I don't know, BTW), but I would be proud to be a sicko in your story.
Put Andrew Rey down for asthma (wheezing at night; minor skin lesions just above the nails; major wheezing in the spring if I dare take a hike) and acid reflux (throw up sometimes when I eat too fast or gobble too large a piece of meat; general heart burn, especially before going to sleep). I also am becoming near-sighted and have a receding hairline.
If you need any more problems, ask me again in a few years. Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Chris, what about the aspect of a parent whose adult child is cured of Down Syndrome, where the parent is all at once happy and sad? Happy for the new opportunity their child has on life, but sad for losing the person they raised and had come to anticipate being child-like long term.
I could see the havok it would raise just with people having to deal with good news. And heaven help the media...what would they report? I could see news organizations not actually suing, but making the scientists lives a living hell by trying to tear down their character. This is a fun plot line.
Here's my sicko: Rayne Rader, infant hip dysplasia, which is curable with surgery currently, but it sure would be nice if we could skip that part as it means 6 months of casts and braces. And Dwayne's Syndrome, which makes her look cross-eyed sometimes. If you could make her 6th cranial nerve grow in right, that would be nifty. It's supposedly genetic, though I don't know anyone on either side of the family tree with it.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Here's an article that might be useful to you in crafting your story Chris.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
While I'm grateful for all the wonderful help and participation, I'm starting to rethink my plans on meeting more hatrackers in real life...
Noemon - thank you! That, and the connected articles will help a lot. My thanks to all hatrackers will medical background or interests.
[ October 17, 2003, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
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Strange and sad.
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