Chapter 4 - An Echo from the Past
Over the next two weeks, an unusual routine established itself on the fourth floor of Lakefront Children’s Hospital.
Amara visited Evan every afternoon after school. She brought him drawings, read him stories about traditional African folklore, and talked endlessly about her school days. Evan, who had lived a sheltered life surrounded by bodyguards and private tutors, hung onto every word.
The medical monitors still beeped, but Evan’s heart rate was more stable when Amara was in the room.
Dr. Sloan noticed the shift. “His body isn't curing itself,” she told Daniel during a private meeting. “But his psychological stress has dropped dramatically. His body isn't fighting itself as hard as it was before.”
“It’s not enough,” Daniel said, staring through the glass. “He’s still slipping.”
“Daniel,” Dr. Sloan said, her voice hesitating. “There is something else. A researcher in Switzerland—Dr. Karl Vance—recently published a paper on mitochondrial mutations. He was working on a targeted enzyme therapy.”
“I spoke to his team,” Daniel said. “They rejected Evan’s case weeks ago.”
“They rejected it because they lacked a specific baseline genetic marker data set,” Dr. Sloan explained. “Dr. Vance’s research was halted three years ago due to a lack of funding for rare West African and East Asian comparative genetic mapping.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Explain that in plain English.”
“The treatment requires a synthetic enzyme modeled after a extremely rare immune trait found mostly in specific West African lineages,” Dr. Sloan said. “Without those baseline samples, the Swiss lab couldn't finalize the key enzyme needed to stabilize patients like Evan.”
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Daniel felt a jolt run through his spine. West African lineages.
He immediately called Jae Min. “I need every genetic research lab we own to contact Dr. Karl Vance in Geneva. Tell him I am funding his research entirely. And get me Nneka Okafor’s consent for a simple blood screening.”
