David Phillip Velter….
was born on 21 September 1971, at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, with a rare genetic disease, SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency), which means his body had no immune system to fight off disease of any sort. Forced to live in a plastic isolator bubble, he became to be known as The Boy in The Plastic Bubble.
Most of the first years of his life were spent at Texas Children’s Hospital but later, in 1981, he was able to live in an insolator at home. Having to live in a sterile environment was difficult for David but his parents and researchers tried to give him a life as normal as possible. He had formal education, friends came over to play games and watched TV – he loved the original Star Wars films.
David’s entire life was spent inside a plastic isolator bubble waiting for a matching bone marrow donor or a cure for his ailment. In 1984, he received medical treatment, but fifteen days later, on February 22 David died. His mother kissed him for the first time a few minutes before his death.
There are ethical issues involved in David’s case but one thing is clear, his life contributed to sceintific understandings and treatments to sever combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and for that we thank him.
***Purple was David’s favorite colour.
Be Well!!!!
Now I remember!