Philip Syrafax lay in his hospital bed, tubes strung in and around his body seventy-six pounds lighter today than he was six weeks ago. What started as a simple flu had morphed it’s way to a life-threatening disease. Doctors scrambled around him, some looking at charts while others stood in bewilderment at the body that rested before them. At sixteen years old Philip was once at the peak of his existence. He was the star shortstop for his high school baseball team, president of his sophomore class and genuinely an all around good kid. Philip rarely even caught a common cold let alone a life-changing disease. His parents couldn’t understand what could have happened to him. He was always taking his vitamins and washing his hands, a bit of an obsessive-compulsive child they would chide him. Now what lay before them was a shadow of their once healthy son.
“What we do know is that Philip’s body is fighting with everything it has available to it’s immune system” Doctor Richfield told his parents. “It appears that what started as the flu has evolved rapidly and joined itself with a common form of syphilis”.
“Syphilis?” asked Mr. Syrafax. “But Philip wasn’t even sexually active that we know”.
“It’s possible that Philip could have contracted syphilis through contact with someone who has it even if he did not engage in any type of sexual activity. For example if Philip had any open sores or wounds and those had been exposed to the bodily fluids of another person carrying the bacteria it could have been passed on in that manner”.
“Well at least that is semi-comforting” said Mrs. Syrafax. “The real question is if he is going to pull through this?”
“Our doctors are doing all that they can for Philip Mrs. Syrafax, if there is any change to his condition we promise to let you and your husband know right away”.
As if on queue Philip’s heart rate monitor began to ring in alarm. Doctors rushed to his side to discover that his heart rate was decreasing rapidly. Doctor Richfield turned to Philip’s parents and told them they were going to have to wait outside.
“What’s going on?” Mr. Syrafax demanded.
“Not now sir, we need to get Philip stabilized.”
Mr. and Mrs. Syrafax watched through the window of the medical treatment room as doctors and nurses rushed back and forth around Philips body. They watched as his heart rate slowed to a stop. They watched as doctors tried to resuscitate him with a defibrillator.
They watched the doctors called his time of death.
They watched as Philip’s eyes reopened…
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