What type of SCID did David Vetter have?

In the late 1970s the world witnessed the heart-wrenching tale of David Vetter, the “bubble boy.” Born with X-linked SCID (XSCID),2 a complete deficiency of T cells and NK cells, David lived his entire life inside a plastic bubble, deprived of all human contact.

Who came up with the idea of the sterile bubble?

In his first years of life he lived mostly at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. As he grew older, he lived increasingly at home with his parents and older sister Katherine in Dobbin, Texas. He died in 1984, at the age of 12….

David Vetter
Resting place	Conroe, Texas, U.S.
Known for	The bubble boy

Is the boy in the plastic bubble a true story?

But David Vetter, a young boy from Texas, lived out in the real world – in a plastic bubble. Nicknamed “Bubble Boy,” David was born in 1971 with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and was forced to live in a specially constructed sterile plastic bubble from birth until he died at age 12.

What disease did the boy in the plastic bubble have?

What is severe combined immunodeficiency? Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is very rare, genetic disorder, affecting between 50 and 100 children born in the U.S. every year. SCID is often called “bubble boy disease,” made known by the 1976 movie “The Boy in the Plastic Bubble.”

Can SCID be cured?

The only cure currently and routinely available for SCID is bone marrow transplant, which provides a new immune system to the patient. Gene therapy treatment of SCID has also been successful in clinical trials, but not without complications.

How did living in the bubble affect David emotionally?

“David’s life showed courage, patience and understanding. He accepted the unique circumstances of his life, but waited to find the way to come out of his bubble. We prepared him to be able to socialize and eventually join the outside world. Science was protecting David, this was never an experiment.”

Can a child born today with SCID live?

If a baby with SCID is treated within the first few months of life, prior to developing infections, then the baby has a much better chance of being healthy. Without treatment, the baby will die within the first one or two years of life.

How long do kids with SCID live?

Without treatment, infants with SCID usually die from infections within the first two years of life. With an early bone marrow transplant, frequent follow-up and prompt treatment for infections, survival rates are very good.

What genetic condition does David have to be treated for in the hospital?

Without it he would have to continue living in the bubble—his sterile isolation chamber—waiting for a cure to be developed for his affliction. Because David suffered from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), he had no immune system to fight off even the most timid of invaders.

What is Bubble Girl disease?

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is known most widely by its nickname, the ‘bubble baby’ disease. The genetic disorder robs a person of a working immune system and the functional B cells and T cells that normally protect us from disease.

Has sickle cell been cured?

Sickle cell disease can be cured with a donor bone marrow transplant but use of this therapy has the best chance of success in patients who have a closely matched sibling donor, which is only a minority of patients.

Can white people get sickle cell?

Sickle cell disease affects millions of people around the world. While it’s very common in people of African heritage, people of other races and ethnicity can also inherit the condition. For example, white people can get sickle cell disease.

What kills sickle cell?

Sickle cell disease can cause organ damage, stroke and even death. When organs are deprived of oxygen, pain is just one consequence. Another is organ damage—to the liver, heart, kidneys, gallbladder and eyes—and even stroke.

Can sickle cell be cured?

Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are the only cure for sickle cell disease, but they’re not done very often because of the significant risks involved. Stem cells are special cells produced by bone marrow, a spongy tissue found in the centre of some bones. They can turn into different types of blood cells.

How long can a sickle cell patient live?

Results. Among children and adults with sickle cell anemia (homozygous for sickle hemoglobin), the median age at death was 42 years for males and 48 years for females. Among those with sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease, the median age at death was 60 years for males and 68 years for females.

Can sickle cell be healed?

Does smoking affect sickle cell?

Smoking is associated with an increased risk of acute chest syndrome and pain among adults with sickle cell disease.

What happened to Kent Demaret and Carol Ann Vetter?

In 1988 Carol Ann Vetter and Kent Demaret were wed. Today, David J. Vetter Jr. lives in Shenandoah, Texas — in the same house where the isolator was set up for his son. He runs an accounting business and has been active in civic government, serving as mayor of his town from 1996 to 2005.

What happened to David Vetter Jr’s children?

Carol Ann Vetter Demaret and David J. Vetter Jr.’s first child was a healthy girl named Katherine, born in 1968. Two years later they had a second child, a son named David Joseph Vetter III. David Joseph was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), meaning his immune system did not work, making him extremely susceptible to any illness.

What was Carol Vetter Demaret’s first child’s name?

Carol Ann Vetter Demaret and David J. Vetter Jr.’s first child was a healthy girl named Katherine, born in 1968. Two years later they had a second child, a son named David Joseph Vetter III.

How old was David Vetter when he died?

He died in 1984, at the age of 12. Vetter’s parents were Carol Ann Vetter and David Joseph Vetter, Jr. Their first son, David Joseph Vetter III, also was born with SCID and died at 7 months old. Physicians advised the Vetters that any future male children they might conceive would have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease.