"DESTIGMATIZE" Blog Post 1

The first fecal transplantation case that I reviewed involved a gentleman who was very ill with a common antibiotic-induced colon condition called C. difficile colitis. Despite multiple trials of treatment with the usual medications, his condition worsened.  He was advised to undergo a fecal transplant, whereby stool from a healthy donor is "transplanted" into the recipient's intestines.  He refused.  This was an educated man, an attorney, but he just couldn't get past the idea of someone else's poop inside him.  Only after his condition substantially deteriorated to the point of being admitted to the ICU did he agree to the simple procedure.  He was discharged home, asymptomatic, within 3 days.

While I hope to be one someday, I am definitely not a scientist.  I am just a teenager with an interest, a fascination.  This episode made it clear to me, however, that while our amazing scientific community is working to better understand the complexities and possibilities associated with our microbiomes, the rest of us have a clear mission.  Until the average person can get beyond the hurdles involved with discussing such subjects, science's maximum benefits will be very difficult to fully realize. Halfhuman.org hopes to chip away at these roadblocks using humor, confrontation, or whatever means necessary.

Jimmy
October 1, 2018