The Perfect Pathogen
Page 2
“Hi Rob. Please call me Bill. It is a pleasure to be here and working with you on such an innovative and important project.”
“Well, Bill, I am ready to get started. The funding is just about in place. At any rate we have enough to start, and all we need now are the final plans and permits. I have been talking to the County engineers at Planning and Zoning, and Inspection and Permits. They assure me they understand the project. It took some work but I also have all of the County Commissioners on board. I expect to be able to start the project in a few weeks. Because of the prefabricated living pods we’ve decided to use, I think we can be up and running by Christmas.”
“That sounds great,” said Bill. “Here are the final plans. I’ve shared these with Roger Mitchell, the construction foremen for Charles County Construction and Homebuilders. He thinks this will be a piece of cake once the foundations, wells, and septic fields are in place. He’ll handle all the utility subcontracting, and he is working closely with Southern Maryland Solar so they’re ready to put on the solar panels as soon as the roofs are in place. The Solar Energy Engineer at SMS thinks you’ll be breaking even, or making money, on your electricity bill each month, based on the load study he did for these units.”
“I know the plan is for fifty units. That is five pods of ten. If the money doesn’t come in, is there any issue with scaling back to four pods?” asked Rob.
“Well, you won’t save any money on the utility installations. Each set of infrastructure supports three pods, so to save you’d have to scale back to three pods. If you had the money, you could put in an extra pod with the planned infrastructure. You actually have the space to build fifteen . We’d just have to put in five sets of utilities. The incremental increase to install it all at once isn’t that much, but I know you’re looking at spending less money, not more. That’s why I haven’t suggested this up to now. You might consider looking into a Federal grant. That could bridge the difference for you.”
“I have a meeting later in the week with the Tri-County Council of Churches and hope I can get them to come up with the additional money. I’ll mention possibly installing the infrastructure with future expansion in mind. That may peak their interest.”
“I wish you well,” said Bill. “If I can get your signature here, I’ll get the ball rolling with Inspections and Permits and we can have a ground breaking in the near future.”
“Excellent! Have a great week Bill,” exclaimed Rob as he signed the document.
As Bill drove away, Rob wondered if he could get Mr. Walters - the primary donor for the Center’s expansion - to increase his donation for the project. He thought that if he explained the economics of the deal to him, as an accomplished businessman he just might have an idea on how best to work this out. Mr. Walters had helped to build many community service projects throughout the Tri-Counties over the last ten years. Pitching for extra money was worth a try, even if the approach only resulted in getting some good business advice. He resolved to schedule an appointment with Mr. Walters before the meeting with the Council of Churches so he knew how to plan moving forward and he would also explore the Federal grants idea. Things were looking up.
Shortly before noon, he gathered the staff and students together to brief them on the plans for the Living Center. Excitement filled the air, and everyone could see how much better this would make the program, if the funding could be found.
Rob kept thinking about how to staff the pods. Marge was urging him to use previous graduates who were living on their own to supervise and train in the pods, but Rob didn’t know if that would meet his objectives of speeding up the process. Maybe speed was not needed. Maybe it would be best if the new students learned from someone who had persevered and grown from a similar experience. He would have to give it some thought, but right now there was no rush, but he wondered if a mix of some graduates and some skilled professionals would be more effective. In any event, he knew he would have the next several years to figure out the correct formula.
CHAPTER 3
It took Katie a little longer than she had imagined to get to the conference center at the University. Luckily, she had given herself plenty of time and there would be opening administrative remarks ahead of time from the staff anyway. As she approached the breakfast buffet, she noticed an old colleague from her college days, James Akira. He was now the Director of Medical Studies at Tokyo’s prestigious Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. As she approached, he saw her out of the corner of his eyes and pivoted toward her with a subtle bow and extension of his hand, mixing his country’s customs with those of hers.
“Hello my good friend Kathleen. I always look forward to seeing you at these events. It is great to know you are in good health and that you are thriving in your position at the CDC. You are looking especially young and beautiful today.”
“Oh Jimmy. You always flatter me. Keep it up, I love it!” said Katie while accepting his hand.
Katie had dated Jimmy for about a month when they first met, but they were both smart enough to know that their personalities were too much alike, and that there would be too much competition between them for things to get more serious. As it stood, they were both working on cutting edge ideas about the aging of the human race, and the development of Homo sapiens over the ages was an endless topic of discussion for the two.
“I have to grab some quick nourishment – I’m on in about fifteen minutes. I love kicking off these events. I can see some of our special guests are perusing the pastries at the next table. I wonder if any of them would claim that eating a doughnut a day is why they have made it to 100,” she said laughing.
Jimmy responded, “They would probably tell you they made it to 100 in spite of the doughnut. Good genes is the theory I hear from most of my subjects, and good family relations. And maybe a doughnut a day makes you a happier, friendlier person. I will have to test that hypothesis myself during the conference. Let me know if you see any change in me,” Jimmy said with a smile.
“Well, I’ve got to get ready,” said Katie. “Wish me luck.”
Katie headed into the large conference room. The overview of the conference had not yet started, but the crowd was already seated. The front tables on the left side of the room were reserved for those over 100 years old, and the front table on the right was reserved for the Conference chairman, the keynote speaker, Surgeon General Bradford Kinsey, and the guests of honor, the three super centenarians: Fannie Bell Stewart, Esther Mahota Burrus, and Bertha Mae Jones. These three were all Americans and Katie had known them for the last five years. She always marveled at how creative the names seemed to be for those who had walked the earth for over 110 years. There was one missing however, Margaret Ann Smith. She was supposed to be in attendance but passed the previous week. Katie had known her for fifteen years and her absence dulled Katie’s excitement for the conference a bit.
Nevertheless, Katie walked over and greeted each of the ladies, and they all smiled when they saw her coming. Katie made a habit of calling each of them at least once a month to see how they were doing and to find out what new projects they were working on. They always had something to say and something new to report. Katie thought maybe that was what aided their longevity. Their minds were always active, always up to something: they were all life-long learners.
Katie took her seat alongside the distinguished guests just as the Master of Ceremonies started her introduction, flashing the schedule for the next three days on the screen. The organizers prided themselves on making the three days as interactive and inclusive as possible, and every moment was filled with lectures, presentations, demonstrations on the latest gadgets to help the elderly, mixers, and panel discussions.
A highlight of each conference for the last five years was a private visit to one of the Smithsonian Museums, hosted and lead by the resident curator. This year’s treat would be a visit to the recently rehabilitated Museum of Natural History, with many of the old exhibits updated. There was a special exhibit
ion of the latest mammoth artifacts found in Siberia, and the feature was a perfectly preserved baby mammoth.
At the tables reserved for those over 100 years old there was much chatter about the taking of good pictures so that when they returned home they could share a slide show presentation of their trip with their neighbors at the senior center. Katie smiled, musing that it seems it doesn’t matter how old you are, you still like to brag about what you did for your friends. “One of the most consistent characteristics of the human race,” Katie whispered under her breath.
It was soon time for Katie to take her place on the stage. She took a deep breath, and began.
“Good morning my friends. Today I have the honor of presenting you with data and analysis that says the state of your heath is excellent. The world’s population of centenarians continues to increase as we find new cures for disease, learn more about what helps the body and mind thrive, and learn how to feed our bodies to maximize its performance.”
Katie continued with statistical slides that showed the number of centenarians was holding its own, and that the outlook for the future looked bright, especially for Japan and the United States. The fact that the Japanese had by far the highest percentage of centenarians as compared to population, and that the U.S. had the largest number of centenarians overall, was a source of great pride for both countries.
After her brief introduction, Katie introduced the “Super Cent” guests of honor, and as they were introduced, they all stood with ocean-wide smiles. Those who were rapidly approaching the 110-year mark looked on in awe, relishing the thought of joining this group in the years to come.
As Katie glanced around the room, she wasn’t surprised at the number of eyes that were closed, particularly among the elderly. She had a theory that these “cat naps” helped them preserve the energy that sustained them each day.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at one of the tables as a woman shouted, “Get a doctor.” From Katie’s angle it appeared that one of the attendees, an elderly lady, had passed out. Luckily, knowing that there would be a large elderly crowd attending this conference, there were two Emergency Medical Services vehicles with advance life support standing by with four staff.
The paramedics rushed in with a gurney, quickly assessed and treated the lady, then wheeled her off the floor, all within a short period of time. She would now spend the next day in the hospital while her friends toured the Museum of Natural History, enjoying the company of the many participants at the conference. “Damn the luck,” Katie thought.
Composing herself, Katie went on with her opening remarks for a few more minutes, closing with her best wishes for the woman who EMS had taken away.
As soon as Katie completed her presentation, she called the hospital to check on the lady that had been whisked away by the ambulance. The news was not good. The lady, a 103-year-old from Oklahoma, had suffered a stroke and was having difficulty breathing. This evening on the way home, Katie would have to make a trip to the hospital, which was located close to the University. The last thing she wanted to see was someone pass away during the conference. It had only happened once before, eight years earlier, and it was already like a little black cloud hanging over the event. Crossing her fingers, she hoped to get good news this evening.
Terman’s Termites
Just a couple of years after one of the most devastating wars in human history, with the Spanish Flu close on its heels which killed untold millions, an unassuming psychologist at Stanford University in California began a ground breaking study that would be, in the end, supremely ironic. In late 1921, Dr. Lewis Terman wanted to learn what factors in a child’s life and environment qualified them for later success. What began as a modest effort to identify key attributes in children that lead to a successful life, the study instead became a well-documented, longevity analysis by three generations of doctors and scientists, following over 1,500 children born around 1910. The goal of the larger study, one that would long outlive Dr. Terman himself, was to determine what aspects of health, biology and lifestyle contributed to a happy, productive and long life. Terman’s Termites, a name the children of Dr. Terman’s study eventually coined for themselves, would become the first thoroughly documented cohort of human beings, many of whom would enjoy full, productive and long lives compared to all humans who preceded them.
In hindsight, humans born in 1910 were indeed a very special group. At no better moment in the history of the Homo sapiens species could one ask to be born. Improving sanitation, clean water, effective vaccinations and a dependable food supply had begun to take effect around the globe, and as these children passed through childhood and entered adolescence, more improvements would take hold.
The historic milestones were astonishing: 1922, the first insulin treatment for diabetes; 1927, the first tetanus vaccine; 1928, Penicillin, the first true antibiotic, is discovered; 1937, the first typhus vaccine; 1945, the first influenza vaccine; 1953: the first polio vaccine; 1964, the first measles vaccine.
Indeed, in spite of two world wars that wiped out over 100 million humans, the war against disease and premature death in every corner of the globe was being decisively won in humanity’s favor.
Year by year the average life span of humans climbed ever higher. Fewer women would die in childbirth because of vitamins, improvements in pre-natal care, and something as simple as midwives using soap and pure water during the delivery of babies. Billions of humans would be born and, most decisively, live.
Out of this unprecedented surge in humanity Terman’s Termites would enjoy a wonderful life at the top of the food and opportunity chain, riding the crest of history’s largest human population, industrial and information wave, ensconced in the protective cloak of the most prosperous state of the most powerful, wealthy and stable nation the world had ever seen—or would ever see.
Time passed by and as humanity entered the 21st century some of Terman’s Termites survived with long and healthy lives to cross over into being centenarians. These lucky few would look back over a lifetime of comparative prosperity and opportunity that no other group of that size had seen in the history of mankind. Their extraordinary journey, so well-documented by researchers through the years, would, for a very brief time, serve as a model for all to learn from and look forward to emulating. Indeed, in the early years of the second decade of the 21st century, Dr. Terman’s surviving children, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren were just beginning to appreciate the wonderful gift this valuable research provided to mankind. The general public was also beginning to fully grasp the lessons learned from the study. More and more people took the salient principles to heart and optimistically looked forward to long, prosperous lives themselves, thanks to the good pathways pointed out by Dr. Terman and his special children.
CHAPTER 4
Rob returned home from work and was immediately greeted by his children.
“What’s for dinner,” they all asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” replied Rob. “What do you guys have in mind?”
“Since mom’s not home, how about chicken nuggets and fries? She says they aren’t that healthy, so she won’t let us have them very often,” said Brett.
Hope and Sam agreed, so chicken nuggets it was. Twenty minutes later they were all sitting around the table chowing down.
“Anyone heard from your mother,” asked Rob.
“Oops,” said Sam. “I forgot to tell you. Mom said she’d be a little late because she had to stop by the hospital to see one of the ladies from the conference who got sick. She said she’d be home by about 8 p.m. and that she’d call when she left the hospital.”
“Sounds good,” said Rob. “Anybody got homework to do tonight?”
There were moans all around. It was the beginning of the school year and the teachers had been piling on the homework. The kids seemed to complain every evening. Rob thought back to when he was in school and it seemed there just wasn’t as much homework back when he was a kid. But maybe that w
as just his mind forgetting the bad parts and remembering the good parts, as our memories seem to do.
“Well, you can all take thirty minutes off and then it’s down to work, which means TV goes off and you go to your desks.”
They all agreed reluctantly, but they knew dad wouldn’t take no for an answer. Better to just agree than to suffer the consequences, ridiculous as the consequences may be.
At about a quarter past seven, Rob received a call from Katie. “I should be home in about forty-five minutes. Do you need me to get anything?”
“Only if you want something special for dinner. I don’t guess you want to have chicken nuggets and fries, like we had.”
“No, I think I’ll just stop at Subway and pick up a sandwich.”
“How is the lady in the hospital?”
“Not too good. I am a little concerned. We can talk about it when I get home. I have about a thousand emails I need to go through also, so I expect to be up late. Luckily I don’t have any lecture to prepare for tomorrow.”
“How did your presentation go today,” asked Rob.
“Pretty well. I got a lot of positive comments and only about half of the audience fell asleep. Not bad for this group, if you know what I mean.”
“Well, you can tell me more when you get home,” Rob said. “See you in a little while. Love you.”
They both hung up and Rob thought it was time to check on the kids’ progress on their homework. He went into Hope’s room to see how she was doing. He was always amazed at the diligence with which she did her work. She was busy working on an assignment to design a presentation that would explain the advantages and disadvantages of doing business with a make believe company. She liked to show her work to her dad, and she hoped that someday she would be a successful business person like him. Based on his quick review of her homework, Rob felt she was well on her way. It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t master, given the opportunity and time. Indeed, Rob had designed his work and life around giving Hope every advantage that a normal kid has, and it was paying off.