Another Reason to Avoid Being A Guinea Pig

The world can still surprise. Mariel went on a field trip last weekend and stayed with an indigenous family. She witnessed a sick child get a guinea pig treatment. Basically, a live guinea pig is rubbed all over the ill person's body like a washcloth. I think the theory is that whatever is troubling the patient will be transferred to the animal. After the rubbing, which Mariel said the child did not enjoy, they wring the pig's neck and slit him open to see if they can identify any absorbed ailments. Mariel could not say whether the child was healed or not, but they were served guinea pig for dinner that night. Waste not, want not.

I've written about feeling like a guinea pig in terms of my medical treatment for AML. As a cord blood recipient, I'm a walking experiment. So far, so good. I went to clinic yesterday and all my blood counts are normal. My doctor was very pleased, but not nearly as pleased as me. My cute furry self endures.