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Cancer Research
by Nathaniel Tower

On his way to the Center for Advanced Cancer Treatment, Dr. Thomas Andersen’s black SUV was swallowed by an out-of-control semi. From the moment of impact, Dr. Andersen’s body ceased to function, dangling lifelessly through the cracked windshield, tiny red droplets dripping onto the asphalt like droplets of dew from a sun-wakened flower.

As he rode under the swirling lights to the closest hospital, his mind continued to churn out brilliant revelations and findings. As the premier cancer researcher in the country, he couldn’t afford to take time off for an inconvenience as slight as complete paralysis. He would just have to find a way to work through it. Luckily he had memorized virtually all of the data, so everything was still at his disposal if not at his fingertips.

For many days, the people visiting him thought it was such a shame that such a genius had not finished his work. After observing his vegetative state for almost six months, his wife decided to remain faithful to his wishes. Begrudgingly, and with tears in her eyes, Mrs. Thomas Andersen pulled her husband’s plug just as he completed the research in his head. Two years later, she died of cancer.