Tom Allen sat, stunned at the news he was receiving in his oncologist’s office. He had terminal colon cancer. It had already metastasized to his liver and pancreas, and there were suspect tumors on his lower spinal cord as well. He was still so young! Cancer was something that you were supposed to have in your 60s or 70’s, not in your 30s! He was supposed to be getting married in six months, not dying…what was he going to do?!
“How long do you expect that he has?” his fiancé Alice was asking the doctor.
Dr. Pinkerton clasped his hands on his desk. “At the rate of the spread of the tumors, possibly around six months. If he chooses to undergo chemotherapy, that could prolong his lifespan, but it would be a palliative treatment at best. His age and general health would allow him to be able to withstand the more severe side effects of the chemo, but at the rate that the cancer is spreading, it would not go into full remission.”
“How long would the chemo prolong things?” Alice asked.
Tom tuned out the rest of the conversation. He had latched onto the six months. A tidal wave of emotion was overcoming his mind, preventing him from really paying attention to everything around him. He knew what the doctor was saying was important, but at the same time, the finality of his diagnosis weighed heavily on his mind. However, as his thoughts threatened to consume him, he did hear the doctor say something about an experimental alternate treatment.
“I’m sorry, Doc,” he croaked out. It was the first thing he had said since he had received the oncology results. He cleared his throat and continued. “You said that there is another treatment besides chemo?”
“Yes sir,” Dr. Pinkerton replied. “It’s still in the early stages, but we have had incredible success with this program with several situations similar to yours.” Dr. Pinkerton went on to explain the Mind Store Machine and how it worked to Tom and Alice.
“So, my fiancé’s brain would basically be in someone else’s body?” Alice asked. “That seems a bit disturbing, doesn’t it? And what if you can’t find a match?”
“We understand that it’s not fit for everyone, and that a lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea at first. Obviously, I would recommend discussing it together before you choose such a path. We can only keep the brain scanned for a few days. Otherwise, the scan starts to degrade. But if we have a suitable donor, we can do the process instantaneously, without any break in the brain function. It would be the equivalent of going to sleep in one body and waking up in another. But the technology is safe, and there have been no reported physical or mental problems with the patient acclimating to their new host body.”
“I want more information about that,” Tom said.
“Tom! Seriously? This is something you’re actually considering?!” Alice asked incredulously.
“Allie, I don’t want to leave you,” Tom said, taking Alice’s hands into his own. He looked at her lovingly. Her shoulder length blond hair framed her perfect face, her turquoise eyes filled with concern. “We’ve been through so much together, and I want to promise you the wedding of your dreams, no matter what it takes,” he told her. “I also have to think of Matt too,” he said, referencing his 14-year-old son whom he had full custody of following his disastrous first marriage. “My dad walked out on our family when I was 12. I don’t want to leave him without a father.”
Tom could tell that she had some serious reservations with this idea, but he also knew her well enough that she wouldn’t push the issue at the moment. Dr. Pinkerton pulled out a large packet of papers. “This is all of the information on the project. Obviously, it’s your choice if you want to choose this path. Chemo is still an option for prolonging your life as well if that’s something that you also wish to pursue.”
Tom thanked Dr. Pinkerton, and they left the office. After a silent 15-minute drive, they arrived back at Tom’s apartment. Tom had taken the day off work from his job as an insurance broker due to the doctor’s appointment. Matt was still in school and his roommate Steve was still at work for a few hours, so they had the apartment to themselves.
“I really think this Mind Storage thing could really work, Allie,” he said, sitting down on the couch and running his head through his short brown hair. “Think about it! I could be in a new body that would be healthy and continue to live out the rest of my life with you. Even if I were to look different on the outside, it would still be me on the inside.”
“Yeah, but what if the only donor they can find is some old fat guy who can’t even have kids?” Alice said, sitting next to him. “I would at least want it to be someone I’m attracted to.”
Tom laughed at that response, a twinkle in his brown eyes. “Honey, if that’s the only option, I wouldn’t even choose that path. It’ll be okay. We’ll make it work!”
Tom knew that Alice would definitely have doubts about the whole situation, but after discussing it in detail between the two of them over the next few hours, she finally acquiesced. She knew that when Tom made up his mind about something, he was going to do it regardless of what she said.
“Well, any choice you make has to be approved by me!” She said smiling as they wound down the conversation.
Over the next few days, Tom filled out all of the waivers and paperwork for the project and returned it to Dr. Pinkerton’s office. He went in for his preliminary brain scan, and after completion of the scan, Dr. Pinkerton uploaded the scan to compare to potential donors. Unfortunately, none of the available donors at the time met the 60 percent minimum match that was required.
As the weeks went by, Tom started to get concerned. He had started chemo as a backup, and the treatment was already starting to make him feel more tired and lethargic. He was struggling to keep up with everything at work, although his boss, Bill, was very understanding of the whole situation and gave him plenty of leeway. He had already lost his hair and had spent more than several nights throwing up everything that he had eaten that day. However, one day, he got a fateful call from Dr. Pinkerton. They had found an almost perfect match….