I rented my body to science: Day 7 and aftermath.
El Fin!
Day 7: Such excitement was in the air! We were all giddy about our last day at the hospital. We could hardly contain our emotions. Something was different, we were all bursting with love for each other, such love that would usually not manifest itself until a future date but being locked indoors for a week with perfect strangers caused an awesome unforeseen result. We laughed, joked and nudged each other with immense familiarity. Our rebellious spirits meshed, we had just broken the system! It was a 7 day vacation, we were fed hand and foot by charming nurses and we were being payed 1400 dollars for minimal labor, not to mention that it was actually a noble cause. The vaccine is in an early testing phase but the hope is that it will eventually help fight HIV.
The way the vaccine would work is simple. HIV gets in your system through some organism. Once inside it gets out of the organism and starts infecting you. Scientists have found that if HIV infects the listeria bacteria it can't get out and infect another host. The vaccine would be a Trojan Horse, once inside the system HIV would infect listeria and get stuck. The research that is being done is only for a vaccine and not for a cure. The issues they are trying to figure out are: making sure that the bacteria doesn't hurt the people taking it, what dosage do people get sick at, and at which dosage does the vaccine work. The genetically modified form of listeria has been altered with the intent of being safe for consumption. Regular listeria can cause all sorts of nasty side effects, the worst being brain damage. They have removed two of the components of the bacteria which are the ones that cause illness. Unfortunately there is still a chance that people could get sick since a foreign organism is entering the system. Only time will tell if the bacteria ends up being a vaccine for HIV.
The aftermath: The day I left was a day full of excitement and wonder. Me and the guys had decided to hang out and have celebratory beers at Manny's place. Before our gathering I went home, left my stuff there and went to the bank to deposit my check. When I arrived at the bank I was still in a state of disbelief, but once I slid the check to the clerk and he handed me my receipt the awesome reality of the situation hit me. "Work smart, not hard" was a lesson I learned from a teacher, this research study was that belief en carne.
When I arrived at Manny's we were all smiles, we were in a state of ecstasy, we celebrated the day and our new found friendship. After further bonding and listening to music Manny talked to us seriously, "I'm getting married fellas. I don't know anyone here so I need one of you to be my best man." His voice had a different quality then usual, it had a hint of vulnerability. When a brother you've known for a week asks you to be a best man you step up to the plate and help him out. Me and Lucas were in complete shock and looked at each other and said Ok.
On the drive to Lucas' I asked, "Did he really ask one of us to be his best man?" Lucas started laughing maniacally.
"He sure did." His laugh lessened but his grin was still tattooed to his face.
I said to Lucas, "I want to do it for sure and the bachelor party is going to be sick!"
"Oh yeah, the bachelor party! That is going to be sick."
I dropped him off after contemplating the bachelor party and the wedding, we foresaw the future full of parties and fun times.
I'm currently trying to get Manny to commit to a date but whenever I ask him when he's getting married he says, "not today." Its still unclear whether or not the party will come through but when I know for sure I will give everybody a call to let them know the deal. Everyone is invited although I will probably have to get everyone to pitch in 10 to 20 bucks per person for the entertainment, whatever that happens to be.
I hope you enjoyed my saga!
Peace and love,
Day 7: Such excitement was in the air! We were all giddy about our last day at the hospital. We could hardly contain our emotions. Something was different, we were all bursting with love for each other, such love that would usually not manifest itself until a future date but being locked indoors for a week with perfect strangers caused an awesome unforeseen result. We laughed, joked and nudged each other with immense familiarity. Our rebellious spirits meshed, we had just broken the system! It was a 7 day vacation, we were fed hand and foot by charming nurses and we were being payed 1400 dollars for minimal labor, not to mention that it was actually a noble cause. The vaccine is in an early testing phase but the hope is that it will eventually help fight HIV.
The way the vaccine would work is simple. HIV gets in your system through some organism. Once inside it gets out of the organism and starts infecting you. Scientists have found that if HIV infects the listeria bacteria it can't get out and infect another host. The vaccine would be a Trojan Horse, once inside the system HIV would infect listeria and get stuck. The research that is being done is only for a vaccine and not for a cure. The issues they are trying to figure out are: making sure that the bacteria doesn't hurt the people taking it, what dosage do people get sick at, and at which dosage does the vaccine work. The genetically modified form of listeria has been altered with the intent of being safe for consumption. Regular listeria can cause all sorts of nasty side effects, the worst being brain damage. They have removed two of the components of the bacteria which are the ones that cause illness. Unfortunately there is still a chance that people could get sick since a foreign organism is entering the system. Only time will tell if the bacteria ends up being a vaccine for HIV.
The aftermath: The day I left was a day full of excitement and wonder. Me and the guys had decided to hang out and have celebratory beers at Manny's place. Before our gathering I went home, left my stuff there and went to the bank to deposit my check. When I arrived at the bank I was still in a state of disbelief, but once I slid the check to the clerk and he handed me my receipt the awesome reality of the situation hit me. "Work smart, not hard" was a lesson I learned from a teacher, this research study was that belief en carne.
When I arrived at Manny's we were all smiles, we were in a state of ecstasy, we celebrated the day and our new found friendship. After further bonding and listening to music Manny talked to us seriously, "I'm getting married fellas. I don't know anyone here so I need one of you to be my best man." His voice had a different quality then usual, it had a hint of vulnerability. When a brother you've known for a week asks you to be a best man you step up to the plate and help him out. Me and Lucas were in complete shock and looked at each other and said Ok.
On the drive to Lucas' I asked, "Did he really ask one of us to be his best man?" Lucas started laughing maniacally.
"He sure did." His laugh lessened but his grin was still tattooed to his face.
I said to Lucas, "I want to do it for sure and the bachelor party is going to be sick!"
"Oh yeah, the bachelor party! That is going to be sick."
I dropped him off after contemplating the bachelor party and the wedding, we foresaw the future full of parties and fun times.
I'm currently trying to get Manny to commit to a date but whenever I ask him when he's getting married he says, "not today." Its still unclear whether or not the party will come through but when I know for sure I will give everybody a call to let them know the deal. Everyone is invited although I will probably have to get everyone to pitch in 10 to 20 bucks per person for the entertainment, whatever that happens to be.
I hope you enjoyed my saga!
Peace and love,