Subscribe to my blog and download Untold Stories From the Kazakh Steppe      SUBSCRIBE

X
Author

Janet Givens

  • amazon author page
  • facebook
  • goodreads
  • gplus
  • instagram
  • linkedin
  • twitter
Skip to content
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BOOKS
    • At Home on the Kazakh Steppe
    • Events
  • BLOG
  • LEARN MORE
  • CONTACT
The Curse of the Handwritten Note
Joyeuse Saint Valentin!

And So It Goes Janet Givens’ Blog More on the Blog's name

And so it goes -- sometimes So it goes -- the lament that permeates Kurt Vonnegut’s classic Slaughterhouse-Five, addresses the notion that certain events are beyond our control. It honors fatalism, resignation, and the inevitability of death (among other things), and the consequent acceptance of our fate.


Just as Vonnegut tried to educate his readers to a greater understanding of the human condition, And So It Goes, the blog, tries to educate readers to a greater understand of the culture that, inevitably and unconsciously, molds us.


We do that by looking at cultures that are different than our own. And we pay special attention to the parts of those cultures that trouble us, that make us gasp, that make us turn away.


Here on my blog, we take the time to take a closer look, to chew on what we’ve been swallowing whole. Adopting the existential notion that we create our own reality, we understand that that reality is also molded by our environment and perpetuated by our culture.


And so it goes.

Remembering David Vetter

posted on February 7, 2018 by Janet Givens
13 view comments

Do you remember the “boy in the bubble?”

David Phillip Vetter was born in Houston, Texas on September 21, 1971. His story was often in the news throughout the 1970s for he was born with SCID, Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (pronounced “skid”) and was placed inside the first of many sealed environments — “bubbles” — within minutes of his birth.

This story captivated me throughout the 1970s until he died in 1984 and not just for the human interest it held. In the spring of 1973, I too had a newborn named David. I followed, both fascinated and horrified, this little “boy in the bubble.” It continues to captivate me.

 

Here is David with his mother; his new space suit from NASA enabled him to explore the world outside his bubble for the first time.

 

Why am I talking about David today? It was on February 7  (1984) that this then-twelve-year-old boy touched his mother for the first time. He died two weeks later of lymphoma caused by an unexpected virus in the blood of his bone marrow donor.

 

With thanks to the Immune Deficiency Foundation for the image.

 

The story of David’s life garnered worldwide attention, but it’s been The Houston Chronicle that continues to cover the story as more and more children born with SCID get a happier ending because of the advances made possible from David Vetter’s short life.

 

Thanks to the Daily Mail for this image.

His life was not without controversy.

As you know, I highlight stories that show the power of culture on individuals, generally without our awareness. And David’s story is such a one. He was born into a culture of medical optimism. Houston, Texas had seen the first separation of conjoined twins (1964), the first heart transplant (1968), and the first successful treatment of pediatric respiratory failure with an at home mechanical ventilator.

With David, they fully expected to see the first successful treatment of SCID. And they expected it fairly quickly, at first.

At best, this theory goes, he was the innocent victim of an unwarranted optimism, a pervasive sense of hope that, after the reality set in, trapped him in an untenable situation. At worst, he was the victim of medical hubris, “a classic example of doctors promising more than medicine could deliver?” as one person put it in this documentary from American Experience, Biography.  (It’s 55 minutes long)

 

Or, was he the fortunate recipient of technological triumphs that gave his family twelve years with him that they’d otherwise not have had? 

That is the verdict in The Story of David, from the Immune Deficiency Foundation.

SCID afflicts between 40 to 80 babies every year and is still fatal if left untreated. But today, there is hope through bone marrow transplants or stem cell transplants, if diagnosed within the first three months, thanks to the time doctors had with David.  And from David’s death, we’ve learned of the connection between viruses and cancer, a causal relationship that had produced numerous breakthroughs since. 

Here’s David at age 7, with his second primary immunologist, Dr. William Shearer.

Want more information?  Try these links:

The New York Times

CBS News

David’s epitaph reads:  “He never touched the world. But the world was touched by him.” He would have turned 47 later this year.

Photo thanks to the Houston Chronical

 

How about you? How do you remember David Vetter? 

 

REMINDER: I hope you’ll check into the We Love Memoirs Facebook group this Sunday when I’ll be talking about my books, my experiences in the Peace Corps, the process of writing, the craft of memoir writing specifically, and any other questions the members might toss at me. Who knows, if someone asks me about Elton John I may repeat the story of how I nearly married the man so long ago. To join (even for the day) just find the image for it in the sidebar there to the right, then scroll up a bit.

Sharing is caring:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pocket
  • Pinterest
  • Google
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

tagged
  • David Vetter
  • SCID
  • Severe Combined Immune Deficiency
  • The boy in the bubble
categorized
  • Cultural differences
  • Family
  • Life Lessons

13 thoughts on “Remembering David Vetter”

  1. Marian BeamanMarian Beaman

    Oh, my Janet. This story got by me. If I remember David at all, it’s a vague memory. I was on the road with my itinerant artist husband and two babies, one about the age that David would be now. You could say I was living in the bubble of our 25 foot travel trailer with little access to news.

    The prevalence of compromised immume systems is a hot topic these days. I certainly get an education when I click on your website each week. Thank you!
    Marian Beaman recently posted…Not Lost But Gone Before, Hope’s MessageMy Profile

    Reply
    February 7, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Hi Marian. I didn’t see many stories, but whenever I did, my heart always skipped a few beats. I felt the powerlessness that surely his mother must have felt being unable to help him. When, he died at 12 I also knew he’d been showing normal adolescent rebellion. I had actually thought they’d simply opened the bubble and allowed nature to take its course. In researching for this I learned a different story.

      Thanks for starting us off.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 7, 2018
      • Marian BeamanMarian Beaman

        👍
        Marian Beaman recently posted…Not Lost But Gone Before, Hope’s MessageMy Profile

        Reply
        February 7, 2018
  2. Laurie BuchananLaurie Buchanan

    Janet — I remember David Vetter because of the 1976 John Travolta movie, “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.” I’m not sure if the movie was based specifically on David, but that’s when he came to my attention.

    I heartily echo Marian’s sentiments, ” I certainly get an education when I click on your website each week.”
    Laurie Buchanan recently posted…Take CareMy Profile

    Reply
    February 7, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Oh I’m so sorry that was your introduction. I never saw the movie, only short clips in some of those videos I linked to. I found it hard to believe they’d cash in on the family’s misery.

      Thank you for your kind words. I do fancy myself in the role of journalist some days. (I think it was blog guru Jeff Goins who had us identify which of five possible roles we took on with our blogs. Journalist was one I identified with. But there was a second, which escapes me at the moment. I do want to challenge readers to think about things differently. Not sure that’s straight journalism.)
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 7, 2018
  3. Kathleen PoolerKathleen Pooler

    Hi Janet, I echo Marian’s and Laurie’s shout out to you for educating and enlightening us weekly with a wide variety of human interest stories. I do remember the “Bubble Boy” as my daughter was born in 1973. That’s an interesting perspective about medical optimism but, in the end, the twelve years he was with us yielded important information for treatment today.

    Reply
    February 7, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      That is certainly how I’ve seen it in doing this piece, Kathy. I was bothered actually by the one “ethicist” on the video who mentioned “hubris” as being a motivating force. It was certainly not that simple.

      It’s the kind of story that everyone who had an opinion, had a strong one. I guess I believed then that if they had him in the bubble, there was good reason for it. I never questioned it back then. Never questioned much back then. I had no opinion, only the feeling of overwhelming sadness.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 7, 2018
  4. Susan scottSusan scott

    I continue to wonder why these peculiar viruses affect the in utero foetus. I do remember the boy in the bubble. I can hardly imagine such a life for the boy and family. Thanks Janet.

    Reply
    February 8, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Yes indeed. Thanks, Susan.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 8, 2018
  5. Merril SmithMerril Smith

    I remember hearing about “the boy in the bubble,” but I could not have put a name to this image. It always seemed so sad to me–for him and his family–to never touch. Thank you for sharing his story.
    Merril Smith recently posted…If (We Could Fly)My Profile

    Reply
    February 8, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      Thanks for stopping in. Loved your recent poem, If (we could fly). So glad you shared the link.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 8, 2018
  6. Tim FearnsideTim Fearnside

    Thanks, Janet. I remember hearing about the “boy in the bubble” as a kid growing up in the ’70’s. I was only a few years older than him, and remember feeling a strange mix of horror and fascination with the occasional stories I’d hear. As a country kid, I ran wild and free, often in bare feet, and was hard to drag indoors. The thought of living in a “bubble” was almost beyond my ability to comprehend or imagine. As an adult and, now, parent, I look back on David Vetter with deep sadness and empathy.
    Tim Fearnside recently posted…One Big LieMy Profile

    Reply
    February 9, 2018
    • Janet GivensJanet Givens

      “Deep sadness and empathy”. Exactly why you’ve so quickly become one of my favorite people, Tim. Thanks for adding your voice here.
      Janet Givens recently posted…Remembering David VetterMy Profile

      Reply
      February 9, 2018

Leave a Reply Cancel

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a blog you'd like to share? I use CommentLuv Click hereShow more posts

The Curse of the Handwritten Note
Joyeuse Saint Valentin!
  • Search

  • Categories

    Blogging Conservation Crossing borders Cultural differences Deleted Scene Education Family Friendship Holidays Kazakhstan Life Lessons MidLife Change Peace Peace Corps Politics Recipes Social Media Travel
  • Subscribe

    Subscribe to my blog and download a FREE pdf
    Untold Stories from the Kazakh Steppe

    SUBSCRIBE

  • At Home on the Kazakh Steppe:A Peace Corps Memoir

    Praise from Kirkus Review
    “...she writes engagingly ... a sharp-eyed journalist. A worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in humanitarian work.”

    At Home on the Kazakh Steppe, A Peace Corps Memoir, by Janet Givens Buy the book

  • Facebook

    Facebook
  • Top Posts & Pages

    • The Four Stages of Friendship
    • Is There a Clothesline in Your Backyard?
    • Keep the Focus On Yourself
    • Earth Day 2018
  • I’m Also Reading

    • Blogs I follow (updated sporadically)
      • Debra Eve’s Later Bloomer
      • Dinty Moore’s Brevity
      • Krista Tippett’s On Being
      • Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings
  • Post Archives

  • Facebook Group

    Join me on Facebook atWe Love Memoirs
  • Gutsy Anthology

    I’ve got a chapter in Sonia’s latest anthology. Check it out here.

  • ©2012-2018 Janet Givens - All Rights Reserved made with by Memphis McKay hosted by TechSurgeons
    ^
    up
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: