If hidden somewhere in your genes is a cure for cancer, but one that's not easily replicable, so that the rest of the world will be able to benefit from such a cure. Will you be willing to allow doctors and pharmaceutical giants to run tests on you, trying to find the cure? Even if it means doing this all your life? Would knowing you have a cure for cancer make being experimented on acceptable?
I reflected greatly on this prompt before deciding, my answer is a resounding NO! I refuse to play for the greater good, especially as it involves being the experiment. We are aware of the risk in experimental procedures, and we all know that there is nothing safe about being experimented on. I have seen people suffer catastrophic consequences and sometimes even die from treatments designed to combat certain life-threatening diseases. If you ask me, experimental procedures are no exception as a threat to life.
More so, the uncertainty of our biological build-up as humans, along with the complexities involved in scientific trials, is a bit concerning. An experimental procedure is a risk, and I cannot risk my life like that, irrespective of the financial reward or the assurance that the procedure for such an experiment is 100% safe.
This prompt just reminded me of a seasonal movie that I loved so much, titled Heroes, where ordinary people discovered that they had superpowers. There is one particular character, Claire, whose cells can regenerate within milliseconds, such that she's immune to injuries, cuts and scars.
In one of the episodes, an eclipse occurred, causing them to lose their ability. At the time of the eclipse, Claire's life was in danger as somebody wanted her dead. Taking advantage of the eclipse, he finally got to Claire and shot her. Seeing how she no longer has her abilities, her body system started failing, and a minor gunshot wound deteriorated to something major.
Given Claire's condition, the father was sceptical about taking her to the hospital, as he didn't know what would happen the next minute if she got her powers back. But seeing that he's losing her, he took his chances and admitted Claire to the hospital.
After Claire was stabilised, the medical teams were a bit concerned as Claire had no medical records or file. I could see the fear in the father's eyes as he was afraid Claire would be discovered and taken away for scientific research. Of course, an ability such as Claire's will be a medical breakthrough if harnessed scientifically.
While Claire's father was scared for his daughter's life, the medical team were more concerned about what they could discover, subjecting Claire to a series of experiments and tests.
Like the movie and some unethical scientific procedures conducted over the years, when it comes to scientific discovery, medical personnel are sometimes willing to be extreme with their procedures if it will get them the results and the recognition that they seek. Just like in the case of Royal Air Force Engineer Ronald Maddison, who thought he was testing a cure for the common cold but was killed after being exposed to 200 milligrams of sarin at Porton Down.
I am aware that being a potential cure to something as devastating as cancer is quite a privilege and an opportunity that can immortalise and cement one's legacy throughout time. But if I might ask, of what value is such recognition if one's health becomes collateral damage? What would be my benefit if I were not alive to witness the success of such medical intervention?
My life is a gift that I cherish a lot, and I do not want to be a sacrificial lamb. But in an alternate universe where science complements our biological makeup without damaging our cells, if I discover that I have the cure to cancer embedded in my genes, I won't overthink it before signing myself up to be experimented on.