We didn’t cure cancer. We fed it.
At the first signs of a tumor we started implanted cells that had been genetically engineered to be easier and more desirable than human organs for the spread of cancer cells. Once the cancer spreads to the new cells it ignores the native ones.
The original idea was that we would remove the implanted cells once the cancer had taken hold in them, but bodies embraced the new cells like an extra organ. Removing them proved fatal in all cases.
Instead we learned to live with cancer growing in our bodies next to our healthy organs.
Now, ten years after the implanting procedure became common place it is estimated that most humans are composed of at least 30% cancer cells. We buy loose or stretchy clothing to accommodate our growing tumors.
I look at my baby. So far he is cancer free, yet he grows every day.
Like a tumor.
Soon he will get cancer too. We all do.
We didn’t regulate the industries that contributed to the cancer epidemic. We fed them. Once we learned to live with cancer growing inside us, what was the point in regulating?
The early patients feared for vanity. Now we all have the lumps.
Some people complain about the pain, but at least we are alive.
At least we are alive.
* * * *
This is a part of my Fiction Friday series. Read the other fiction posts here including
- What would the Internet be like without net neutrality?
- My best friend is a book and she’s dying (again)
- Sometimes I forget myself
Get notified of new posts by email. Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
You can also find Kim Z. Dale on Twitter and Google+ and like Listing Beyond Forty on Facebook.
Kim Z. Dale 