Consequence.

Chapter 3 - Dire Consequences 

[ The Secret Life of Wilson ]

Dr. Christopher knew that he would be gone for a long time. He also knew that he might never go back alive. He wished he had the chance to explain everything to Will. If only he could. He feared that he would lose him like his father. After a month after Will's parents were killed by the organization he was working for, which he was unaware of, he stumbled on a file that was stuck perfectly under his table. He always thought that it was paranoia that Arthur was acting all tensed up and worried. He had seen Arthur working late hours sometimes even staying up all night for weeks on a row. Once a few times he confronted him on his working hours to be very unhealthy. And it was in his request that Arthur took the little naps and used to go home. Else God knows what might have happened to him. He was worried so was Arthur's wife. She was a nurse and they met in a medical conference a few years ago but Arthur is rarely home and their son has a mild cancer.  She was worried about everything. Though Dr. Christopher told her that Arthur was just working and caught up in work and once this is over he will quit the job. Arthur really wanted to quit the job after their project panned out. And curing his son was Arthur's number one priority and that was the reason he was working his ass off. Zack ( Arthur used to call Dr. Chrishopher as he was a good friend of his ) never knew about Alex's condition until he found out the papers in the file under his desk. 

The file was filled with different calculations, formulas, research and lot of gibberish notes that didn't make sense. Then there were some observations that looked like a blood report but with numbers that complicated it even more. Too much things didn't add up. He stopped short when he saw Alex's name. Why on earth will there be Alex's name on some research that Arthur was doing?", Zach thought to himself.  He locked up the files in his cabinet which was when another paper came out of picture of all this research material. It was then he realized the reason behind Arthur's panaroia. He wasn't paranoid about anything. He was trying tonstoo something big. And in the process he was killed. All this came to light when he saw the construction plan and the dim blurry photos and some redacted files which were marked CONFIDENTIAL. Something was going on. 

Alex had a cancer and his father almost found a cure for it. And he had to use it under dire circumstances when it became critical for Alex. After a few struggles his cancer was almost cured by his father and so did his father thought. But there was a bigger picture in play, which he failed to realize at that time. On the contrary he was intelligent enough to know the consequences of what could happen if the organization found about this.  It was a breakthrough in the field of medicine and Arthur has already become suspicious about the intentions of the Organization. He couldn't tell anyone. The problem was that Zack himself didn't know about how the drug was made. And he feared Alex's safety. So he took him in. Alex was supposedly dead along with his parents on a car accident that happened on the hilly side of the country and the bodies weren't found as the burned car was deep in the steep cliff  where the rescue crew couldn't go. And the prototype cure of cancer which was performed on Alex was a step away from bringing more complications for him and the kid. Micheal knew about this all along. He was just waiting for the right moment.

Dr. Cage was no fool. He found out everything what has been happening in the laboratory with Arthur and he was the one who reported to the higher officials about snooping into the restricted laboratory. Micheal knew that Arthur was working on something big and during one of Arthur's unusual naps he came to know what actually Arthur was working on. He just wanted the product, the cure, whether if it is a prototype or whatever. He just wanted something. The organization was planning to cut the budgets since they had to maintain two laboratories among which one was completely kept under wraps. And there hasn't been many breakthrough, nor any money generating discoveries in medicine. When Zack discarded his thoughts as paranoia, Arthur came to tell Micheal about his findings when he came to know about the Lab even though he didn't trust him. After all he went to college with him and so he thought he was on his side.

Micheal made Zack work on the works of Arthur, because his discovery lead into the use of a much more powerful energy. I idea was not to kill Arthur, but use him to his own advantage. But the other day, Arthur came to know about the Micheal's intention and as an attempt to flee away, he met with an accident, but that wasn't an accident. Arthur knew too much than he should have. Another assumption that Micheal had was that all his work would still be in the laboratory. So, his absence wasn't such a big deal after all. But he was wrong. The kind of research and whatsoever discovery that Arthur made, Micheal couldn't make anything out of it. So, he had no choice but to involve Zack. 

Zack never really agreed to work on anything that Micheal had told him to do. But a mail from his old job made him think otherwise. What was supposedly an invitation for a lecture was actually a letter coded which only he could understand. A letter from a dear friend who is dead in the national database. The only reason which compelled him to continue because the letter indicated a greater discovery in play, which was beyond anyones' expectation. 

{ To be continued .... }

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The third day of April is all about Consequences. You can find the first two chapters here title under "The Secret Life of Wilson"

Chapter 1 - Adbandon

Chapter 2 - Brave

A2Z Challenge

P.S. Please drop in your comments to let me know whether this is a good thing or not. You say the word, and you can just unbuckle your seat belts and blog-hop. 

#A2ZChallenge #Day3 #C #Consequence #TheSecretLifeOfWilson #A2ZFiction

Brave.

Chapter 2 - Be Brave 

William froze as he saw the house burn to the ground. He was confused and tried to make sense of what all just happened. Police and fire department had already arrived and are putting out the fire. He watched all that. He knew that consulting them about his uncle would be a mistake. Media was also there along with a lot of people. After all, Dr. Christopher was a renowned biologist and an extremely careful doctor who has brought breakthrough procedures and there were talks that he found a cure for Cancer as well. No matter how good it sounds, people were just speculating about that. None of that come to the light of the day. It would have in a given days in the much awaited Internal Conference of Advanced Medicine and Simplified Biology (ICAMSB). But that is not likely to happen with the recent developments in the Walter St. where the doctor's house was burnt down and is feared that he is under the remains. The TV news were flooded with the live telecast. The Police were inquiring in the neighborhood trying to find the reason as they came to know that the house was completely empty. William stood as a spectator trying hard to make sense of it and he wished it to be bad dream. 

"Hey Kid, were you here when this came down?", asked a husky guy in a navy suit with a police badge on his belt. William woke up from his disbelief as the officer repeated his question. 

"Umm, No Sir. I am just coming from the tuition. Was caught up in homework", he managed trying to sound convincing. 

"Why are you sweating? Are you okay?"

"Yes Sir. I was just running home as it was getting late for dinner and then I saw fire."

"Where do you stay? I could give you a lift".

"That's okay Sir, I just live round the corner. Thank you Sir", and started leaving slowly trying to hide his agony inside of him. 

The officer went on to ask the remaining people in the neighborhood. William collapsed on the bench inside the church that has been his early home a long time back. He was tired and a little nauseated due to the fire fumes he had been inhaling. William woke up hours later to the large bell that resonated through the empty walls of the Church. He so very much hoped for the last night to be a bad dream. And he still couldn't believe all this happened. He was scared. He had no idea what he should do. Where he should go. He couldn't control his emotions and cried his heart out sitting at the corner of the bench as the sun made its way though the painted glass which illuminated the church in different colors that were presented in the painting. His tears slowly trickled down his cheeks and fell on the brown letter diary. It caught his attention. He wanted to know everything, and this was no better time to start making sense of things. He flicked through the diary as if searching for something hidden in the diary. Indeed, there was something hidden. It was an envelope on it was written a name "Alex Wilson". William remember to have heard that name before, long before. But why was there an envelop in that name ? He stopped at the first page of the diary where there was written in calligraphy font, "The Story of Arthur Wilson". William was confused even more. Why would his uncle give a complete stranger's diary to him. He was having second thoughts whether to continue reading it because he knew reading other's diary is not a good virtue. But then he thought why would his uncle tell him to read when I was ready? I can see no better time to read it. May be this person holds a clue to all that had gone down the previous night.

January 3rd, 1997

Today is the happiest day of my life. I still can't believe it. But the most wonderful thing happened to me. I am going to marry her, the love of my life, Natalie. I never knew what would have happened if I had taken the step back and never proposed to her. I just can't imagine my life without her. I am the luckiest guy in the whole wide world. 

His excitement about the  day, how he proposed her and all that took another two pages. William skimmed through the pages as fast as he could. Because he still didn't find any relevance to any of this. Then there were a few pages of his work, and then there was this name which caught William's eye as he flicked the pages without even reading and he started reading that. 

23rd April, 1997

I met Dr. Zackary Joseph  Christopher. A true visionary and is intelligent beyond his age. I have a lot to learn from him. I have been following him and his work for the past few years. Today was the first time I met him and he asked me for my help in something that could change the world. It was a very inspiring idea and thought. And I would like to help in every way possible. I am honored to have got the chance to work with him.

15th February, 1999

I have been holding my breath for this day. And this has finally happened. You were born and I can't contain my excitement. And I have decided to name you Alex Wilson. We, I and Natalie are so happy for you. I want to see you grow, I want to see you make your first steps, run, fall, turn into a teenager and then pursue your life the way you wanted. I will always be there for you. I want to you give you a better world and I am in work with Dr. Christopher. I am busy and working hard, but I promise to be there for you when you need me. 

20th January, 2000

I have seen young Alex crawling and within months he will start walking and I want to be there for him. My work will not end anytime soon but we are almost there. Just a few complications. But once done, we will be able to change the face of the earth.

30th January, 2000

I am in the hospital. I was called upon urgently from the hospital when Natalie learned about the breathing problems that Alex was having. I couldn't sleep that night. And they weren't allowing me to see him even though I was telling that I was a doctor. The doctor's said that he has Leukemia. I just couldn't believe that. He hasn't even said a word yet and this is just not possible. It isn't possible. It isn't....

(Undated)

I have worked overtime to find out a way. The purpose of our research was also a little streamlined with the project I was working on. But I opted to add a few more hours and am trying to find a cure. I just can't let the cancer defeat me, my son. Be brave son, I am trying my best. I have made a little progress after 5 months of work but something is still missing. What is it? What is it? 

(Undated)

Today there was a great discovery in the field of science. Last night was a phenomenal day as that was the day when the meteors which were supposed to hit the earth didn't hit. The earth's gravitational pull was almost successful in pulling them closer but it was sheer luck that they passed so near from the earth. That's what the whole world knew. But actually, the story was covered up. Huge rocks of meteors crashed few miles north of the laboratory I am working in. It was an abandoned place covered in hills and volcano. So, no one ever took notice. But as we were the first responders and being the scientists who study and research, those samples were brought to the laboratory.

The looked normal but that wasn't it. All scientific procedures that were available in the laboratory failed to identify the substance it has or what it contained. It was after long discussions it was decided that they will be sent to the states for further study of meteorological substances. Everything was sealed and sent. But I was able to hide a small piece of rock. 

(Undated )

Little did I know about the rock that I managed to keep under my wraps of what it contained. We have been looking at the wrong places for what it was. I have found out a way to make this work and use it in the field of medicine. This was the missing piece we had been looking for. I was about to tell Dr. Micheal Cage about this little discovery of mine when I stumbled across something. 

There is something happening in the Lab. There was a secret basement under the lab where we had been working in. I have a bad feeling about all this. Something big is happening without my knowledge. And if what I saw was really what I saw then we are in trouble. I conveyed the same to Dr. Christopher who didn't believe me at first and said that I was being paranoid. I know there is something happening under this laboratory. So I convinced him to come along with me. I snooped into the lab in the lunch hours when there was no one in the lab. What I saw shocked me to my wildest imagination. They were using our research and our work to do all these experiments. They are ruining the whole science. They have no idea what this could lead do. It would do more damage than any good. I am a scientist who studied on different life forms and I am striving to make people's lives better. And this was not what I signed up for. And what shocked me more were those rock samples of the meteor, they were still here. 

17th May, 2001

Finally. It worked. I have almost found out the cure for cancer, or a particular type. It has passed a few preliminary tests and this is it. If this passes tomorrow's test, then we have a bright future. 

There diary was empty for a lot many empty pages. William didn't understand. He flipped through all the pages trying to find some continuation since that day. But nothing. The pages were torn. He asked himself who could have torn them? And then he say the envelop titled Alex Wilson. And there was a letter in it. 

Dear William, 

If you are reading this, I fear that a lot worse has happened. May be I could never see you. But I have to tell you something. Your name is Alex Wilson. I changed your name to my grandfather's name just to protect you from the people who might come searching for Alex. You dad told highly of you. And it pains me to say that you parents died tragically in a car accident which I believe was the work of these monsters whom I am working for. I have never been around you much. But I believe you were the first one to be treated out of Cancer by your father. He was younger to me but he was brilliant, a visionary. I remember him saying that you will be a great person one day and told me to pass on a message, "Be Brave". I know you are still a kid, but I am sorry. If it were any different, I would have chosen it. There is an address at the back of this page. Please go there and tell my name to Uncle Benedict, whom you met on out first fishing trip. He will help you out and stay out of trouble. And I am quoting your dad once again , "Be Brave". 

Love,

Uncle Joseph

{ To be continued .... }

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The second day of April comes with a Brave new topic which is in continuation to the first days' Abandon. 

A2Z Challenge 

P.S.: "Oh my", "Oh my", was your reaction, right? I know. I know. The journey just got a little more bumpy. Is it way too bumpy? Just drop a comment to let me know and yeah don't unfasten your seat belts. Not just  yet. And yes, this post was extremely lengthy. :/

#A2ZChallenge 

#Brave

#B#Day2

Touching Lives through Modern Healthcare.

Life as we see is always been in a constant change. There is a lot happening in and around world. There are discoveries, innovations and developments in every field. You name a field, there is a new technology or a development there. And these transformations revolutionize the modern day lives. Science as we speak is advancing beyond one's expectation. The sheer complexities of Science in everyday life are transformed into something very easy. A decade back, we were unaware of many of the scientific possibilities and how it could change the lives of people. Science is still in the evolution stage where a lot has to be discovered and a lot to be renovated. Renovation?, you ask. Yes, through it today's sophistication could be molded into tomorrow's handy tool. 

So, what has science given us in the present day? How does it affect the today's people across the world? Ranging from smart phones to the complex medical procedures, the evolving science has played its part perfectly. These have been successful in transforming the lives and making them easier. We there proprietors of these and we are the ones using and enjoying its fruits, the fruit of modern evolving science. 

There are people who work, people with disabilities, people who are physically disabled. Sometimes the work stress gets to us. Sometimes fate takes a front seat and end up in some accidents. Sometimes a few get physically weak with some diseases. The modern day technology has been able to provide maximum possibilities to the people who get ill, people who never thought could be cured are happily living today. What has caused this change? You know the answer to that question. The modern day science is on an advancing stage, as it always has been and with each new technology something good is happening, especially in the field of Medicine and and advanced healthcare. 

How does the modern Healthcare touch lives?

Almost a year or so back, an acquaintance of my dad was suffering from minor illness. It was supposedly a small ailment, but it never ceased to end.  He was advised to get a full medical check up at Apollo, Chennai as it was said that the facilities there were brilliant. But he was hesitant to travel to Chennai for the sake of a medical check up and that the illness he is suffering from is nothing serious or dangerous, or so he thought. And he was a busy man, travelling from one place to another and without finding time for his health. But after a repeatedly advising him to look after his ailment, he finally took the flight to Chennai only to find that he was just right in time about finding out about the seriousness of his illness. I am sorry, I don't know the details but after two weeks or so he was back and continued his daily routine, now in his full health. Well thanks to the advanced and modern health care facilities. 

Getting ill is sometimes just not in our hands. There are many causes for the same, may it be environment,  or the place we live in, or it could be the radiation about which we have no idea existed, or the food we eat. Some get serious and in some cases the normal medicines are not of much help. An advanced technology is in the need of the hour. And thanks to the never ending developments in science and technology and also in medicine, which have been able to save many lives.

Lets just brief about some of the new technologies that are being used and a few which are still in the process of developing. 

a. Intelligent Pills Deliver Medication to Specific Locations: An intelligent pill has developed that can be programmed to deliver targeted doses of medication to patients with digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease, colitis, and colon cancer.

b. Sensor Technology Tracks Medication Adherence: Proteus Biomedical is working on technology that incorporates a tiny sensor into pills for targeting medication adherence for organ transplants, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, diabetes, and psychiatric disorders.

c. Brain Implants Prevent Seizures: The RNS System, a responsive neurostimulator from NeuroPace, detects abnormal electrical activity in the brain that signals the onset of a seizure, and delivers a specific pattern of mild electrical stimulation to block the seizure.

d. Contact Lens Detects Glaucoma: Sensimed’s scientists have created a smart contact lens with an embedded microchip that monitors intraocular pressure. If a patient wears the contact lens for a day, glaucoma can be detected sooner and more reliably, and the efficacy of the treatment can be monitored over time, potentially averting blindness.

e. Artificial Pancreas for Diabetics: Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston University have successfully completed a trial with 11 type-1 diabetic patients using a new “artificial pancreas” that consists of insulin pumps, glucose sensors, and regulatory software.

f. Printing New Skin: Wake Forest University’s scientists have discovered how to apply ink-jet printer technology to ‘print’ proteins directly onto a burn victim’s body for faster and more thorough healing.

g. Artificial Retina: To date, progress has been made by enabling direct communication between the implant and the neural cells that carry visual information to the brain.

h. Lab-on-a-Chip: Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a lab-on-a-chip for HIV testing that does not require expensive resources and can deliver results in seconds. The portable and less expensive lab-on-a-chip is a holographic, lens-free imaging mechanism that counts specific molecules and blood cells to determine if the blood is HIV positive.

i. Microfluidic chip to quickly diagnose the flu

During the H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009, which spread across more than 200 countries and killed more than 18,000 people, it became clear that flu diagnosis was often taking too long and resulting in frequent false negatives.
Today, researchers from Boston University, Harvard, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are reporting in the journal PLoS ONE that they have built a microfluidic chip that rivals in accuracy the gold-standard diagnostic test known as RT-PCR but is faster, cheaper, and disposable.

j. Glooko’s New Diabetes Management System FDA Cleared

Glooko (Palo Alto, CA) received FDA clearance for its latest Glooko System, a diabetes management package that includes the Glooko iPhone application, MeterSync Cable and online access for patients and healthcare providers.

The new iPhone app provides the ability for detailed tracking of taken drugs and consumed food, including easy entry using nutritional data compiled from popular restaurants. The MeterSync Cable is used to connect any one of 19 different glucometers to the iPhone to transfer glucose readings for charting and review by clinicians.



Science and Technology has always fascinated the today's generation. People would be seen with sophisticated gadgets in their pockets and are always in a constant synchronization with the world around us. So, this technology is being used by the medical people in various ways. 

The technology has been successful in bringing the people a step closer to the medical requirements at the comfort of their home. Not only that, it has also helped a lot of hospitals and doctors to keep a track of the medical advances and increase the efficiency of the medical treatments. A few to state are as follows : 


a. Crunching data Cloud Computing : An effective way to increase productivity is the ease of access of data. A patient's medical history and the status of the present medical examination can be available on the cloud for the doctors to access anywhere. It helps the doctors to keep a track of the patient history, stay up-to-date on medical research and analyze treatment options.

b. Communicating with patients : Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has developed Omnifluent Health, a translation program for doctors and others in the medical field. The suite of products includes a mobile app that lets doctors speak into the app — asking, for example, if a patient is allergic to penicillin — and translate the message instantly into another language. 

c. Linking doctors with other doctors : Could social networking help doctors work better together to take care of their patients? That’s the premise behind Doximity, a social network exclusive to physicians. Through Doximity, doctors throughout the United States can collaborate online on difficult cases. It’s received $27 million in funding and counts among its board members Konstantin Guericke, a co-founder of LinkedIn.

d. Connecting doctors and patients : In some cases it is impossible for the patient to visit the hospital at the earliest or is stuck in some location not near to a medical facility. Then the advanced technology offers patients medical consultations online and over the phone, potentially saving a trip to the ER. The medical advice doesn't come from just anyone, but from some of the city’s top medical specialists.

e. Helping patients stay healthy : A growing number of mobile apps and gadgets aim to help people stay active, sleep well and eat healthy. Among them are Fitbit, a pedometer that tracks daily sleep and activity and uses social networking and gaming to motivate its users. Lark is a silent alarm clock and sleep monitor that tracks and analyzes a person’s quality of sleep over time, offering suggestions to help the person get better rest (it has since expanded to track daily activity, too). And there are dozens upon dozens of calorie-counting, food-monitoring and menu-tracking apps to aid the diet-conscious.

It’s clear that technology is giving the health care industry a much-needed upgrade, from medical translation tools to mobile apps that help patients live healthier lives. Though much is still in the early and experimental stages, the advances in technology could help save money in health care costs and improve patient treatment.

Patients who can connect with their doctors more easily, for instance, won’t need to make expensive and perhaps unnecessary trips to the ER or specialists. Doctors will be able to collaborate with other physicians and experts in new ways and use computers to analyze patient and medical data, allowing them to provide better and more efficient treatment for their patients. As technology continues to expand the horizons of medicine and medical interaction, it’s becoming clear that we’re entering a new era of health care — or as some people are beginning to call it, Health 2.0.

The Indian Medicinal Science.

It is well known that that first medical practices started in India with the flavors of Ayurveda, the traditional medical science developed or lets say extracted through the natural herbs and plants of medicinal value. Since then, a lot has come into place and that the modern medical tenure is much more sophisticated yet the best as one could say. Though a lot has to achieved, and at this rate the tomorrow's generation will have better health and medical technology and may also increase the human life expectancy. And in this aspect Apollo Hospitals have been always a step ahead in providing the best medical treatments by using the most advanced and cutting edge technology for improving the present day's medical problems and the related issues. The following are a few which would help in identifying the status of modern health care facilities available and how efficiently they are being utilized for the benefit of the people and in improving their health. 


a. Radiosurgery :
Radiosurgery has been effective in treating tumors and cancers. Ushering in another new era in healthcare, the Apollo Hospitals Group has introduced the most advanced CyberKnife® Robotic Radio Surgery System, the world's first and only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy. And 
Novalis TX Radiosurgery & Radiotherapy is changing the face of cancer treatment.


b. Liver Transplant :
The Centers for Liver Diseases and Transplantation, Apollo Hospitals, are equipped with the state-of-the-art technology for liver surgery using the laparoscopic Argon Beam Laser as well as Tissue Link™ in combination with other methods of liver resection like CUSA™ and Laparoscopic Vascular Stapling. Bloodless Liver Surgery is also performed with high success rates.

c. Bone Marrow Transplant :
Bone Marrow Transplantation is a form of intensive treatment used to treat certain cancers like leukaemias, lymphomas and some non-cancerous diseases like thalassaemia.

d. Stem Cell Transplant :
Stem Cell Transplantation is an exciting area of medicine. It is a well established treatment for several cancers and diseases of blood since the last few decades.

e. Robotic Surgery :
Robotic surgical devices provide 3D high definition vision with up to ten times magnification and an immersive view of the surgical field through a tiny incision of 2 cm. Enhanced dexterity and greater accuracy make complex surgical maneuvers easier through smaller ports, minimizing patient trauma in confined spaces of the chest, abdomen or pelvis.

The above stated pointers are just a few of the many new technologies which are currently touching millions of lives. The medical science has a great future ahead and there is every chance of improving it much more to meet the medical requirements of every patient.

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Apollo Emergency and Helpline number(s) in case of Emergency.

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Important Links : 

Apollo Hospitals : Touching Lives

Apollo Hospitals - Cutting Edge

IndiBlogger

Technology Transforming Lives

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This post is an entry for the contest  "How does Modern Healthcare touch lives ?" organized by 'IndiBlogger' in association with 'Apollo Hospitals : Touching Lives'.

Disclaimer : The pictures have been taken from Google, IndiBlogger and some other source(s) .