How the boy in the bubble died aged 12 following a procedure that was supposed to save his life

NEED TO KNOW

• David Vetter lived with severe combined immunodeficiency, requiring an ultra-sterile plastic isolator from birth

• He became known nationwide as “Bubble Boy” and later wore a containment suit designed by NASA.

• Texas Children’s Hospital established the David Center in his honor, advancing research into immune disorders.

David Vetter’s family had hoped for years that he would be cured.

Born September 21, 1971 at Texas Children’s Hospital, the boy was diagnosed with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a life-threatening disorder in which people cannot fight off infections due to a lack of T cells or B cells. Without an immune system, even a cold or flu could be fatal.

To keep him alive, David was forced to live in an isolated and ultra-sterile environment. The only way he could interact with his loved ones was through a clear plastic bubble. He became known as “Bubble Boy” or “The Boy in the Bubble”.

He eventually gained more mobility by wearing NASA-designed containment suits that resembled spacesuits.

His story captured the attention of the American public. As his mother Carol Ann Vetter recalls, once he realized his fame, David “told me he was a star because his picture was in the paper the day before and stars don’t have to clean up their toys. I told him his picture wasn’t in the paper today, so today you clean up your bubble!”

When David was 7, he met Dr. William T. Shearer, head of the Department of Allergy and Immunology at Texas Children’s, who writes that David “put his arms into the gloves sticking out of his plastic isolation system to shake my hand and began questioning me to make sure I understood that he was special and competent enough to take care of himself.”

He continued: “At 7 years old, David was a very bright young man who had a vocabulary as advanced as some of my peers and loved to learn. He was very courageous and courageous in handling his situation and fighting germs and brought a great sense of humor that brightened the room.”

Then an experimental treatment became available – one that doctors hoped would allow David to live outside the confines of his bubble. It was possible that a bone marrow transplant would help him develop an immune system.

“Our doctors told us the surgery was very successful and it was 99 percent safe. They said it would work or it wouldn’t. But if it didn’t work, we’d just be back to square one,” Carol Ann said, according to PBS.

On October 21, 1983, David received a bone marrow transplant from his sister Katherine. Because he was in the bubble, he actively participated in giving himself injections.

But at Christmas, David began to get extremely ill. It turned out that his sister’s bone marrow had not been screened for the Epstein-Barr virus and was now causing a form of lymphoma in David.

As his condition continued to deteriorate, he told his mother, “I’m tired. Why not just remove all the tubes and let me go home?

On February 7, 1984, as death approached, David came out of his bubble and was able to be physically hugged by his family.

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On February 22, David spoke his last words, first to his friend and psychologist Mary Murphy. As she was leaving, he said to her, “Remember, I love you, Mary. Goodbye.” Then he turned to his mother and said, “I love you all too.”

Carol Ann took off her mask and kissed her son for the first time. Moments later, David died.

“David was an incredible young man whose legacy contributed to even greater accomplishment and my life and was certainly changed because of David and his family,” Shearer wrote, adding that Texas Children’s established the David Center at Texas Children’s in honor of the late boy.

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