David Vetter

David Joseph Vetter III (September 21, 1971–February 22, 1984) was a boy from Houston, Texas who suffered from a rare genetic disease now known as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Forced to live in a sterile environment, he became popular with the media as the boy in the plastic bubble.

Birth

A special sterilized cocoon bed was prepared for David at birth. Only twenty seconds after being removed from his mother's womb, David entered the germ-free environment that would be his home for most of his life. Water, air, food, diapers, clothes all were disinfected with special cleaning agents before entering his cocoon. He was handled only through special plastic gloves attached to the wall.

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As time passed on, the research on David's disease did not yield any result. What was set up as a temporary solution had become his home, and as he grew, they had to allocate a hospital room for him to live in. As the years went by, David moved to other environments in the hospital, each one bigger to fit him and the bubble.

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The researchers and his parents tried to give him a normal life: he had formal education, watched TV, and learned about germs. After time, he became aware of the outside world and his special condition.

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