Regeneration X (12 page)

12.
Animals are not candidates for Renovation.

Note
: While it is recognized that pets are members of the family, the developmental stages, as well as biological cells, of animals are different from human forms.

Recommendations

1.
It is advised by the Cellular Regeneration Council that prospective patients inform, at minimum, all members of his/her immediate family.

Note
: It is likely parents or guardians, if still living, will have the most to contribute toward your decision if you are unaware of the consequences. However, a spouse and children will likewise be closely effected.

2.
It is also recommended individuals let significant others know.

Note
: Especially as it applies to procreation, item seven, above.

3.
It is advisable you complete the necessary procedures to re-age socially, i.e., add re-age to birth certificates, financial, social services, and personal medical history records.

Note
: If authorized in your pre-surgical evaluation paperwork your re-age will be modified in your current medical records at the time of your procedure.

Note
: Should you decide not to re-age at the time of your Renovation procedure, this process can be initiated later.

Side Effects*

1.
Nausea during the first 6 months

2.
Vomiting during the first 2 weeks

3.
Digestion issues during the first 6 months

4.
Muscular and/or nerve pain, typically during the first year

5.
Lightheadedness or dizziness during the first two months

6.
It is imperative to comprehend that biological Renovation implies an earlier age of death for a down-growth procedure and a shorter lifespan for an up-growth. Average natural life expectancy today is 100 years for a man or woman. The human body is currently incapable of longer-term strain. For example, if you down-growth 25 years, it is reasonable to expect end of life at age 75. If you up-growth 25 years the aging body generally cannot sustain viability past 100 years.

*Symptoms and side effects vary with each patient.

・ ・ ・

“I had an appointment with Dr. Baum today. And you’ll be glad to know I’m not loony, at least not medically. My self-diagnosis still tells me I’m the same as before,” she started. “Dr. Baum said my disconsolation is self-induced.

“So, do you remember the pamphlet I gave you a couple weeks back?” She was no longer feeling the rush of excitement she had felt when she’d walked out of Dr. Baum’s office. Now that I’m rational again, it probably had more to do with being told I wasn’t mental, officially.”

“Yes, but Renovation is a cosmetic procedure. You wouldn’t be interested in something like this,” Michael stated.

“I don’t know, the pamphlet was a teaser. We didn’t have much to go on; I just thought it was interesting. Since then, I’ve gotten some more information and I want for us to go over it together.”

“You would want plastic surgery? How would that help?”

“It’s cell regeneration. So, while it looks like cosmetic surgery on the outside, it actually makes you younger—not just look younger.”

“I guess I still don’t understand. What would it achieve?”

“There are the physical changes, but there is also an administrative aspect called re-aging. Essentially, I could use this procedure to redefine my career, go back to school and start over. Here. Look,” she said opening the document. Point by point they went over the information together.

“Strange, this is minimally invasive.”

“I know. Minimally invasive as far as the initial surgery, but it’s kind of a misnomer because all the serious processes are happening on the inside, afterward.”

“It’s mostly cosmetic except for the re-aging part. It doesn’t alter the mind.”

“Right,” she acknowledged. “This is what it sounds like. Of course, even this isn’t complete, but I’d talk to Dr. Baum and set up some more appointments to find out more. What do you think?”

“If this can help you accomplish what you want. I want you to be happy,” he said, squeezing her hand. “Have you thought at all about what you’d do, career wise?”

“I’ve had so many fantasies of what I would do, if I could do it all over, and I’m as indecisive as ever. So far I’ve only been able to apply for jobs I’m qualified for, but if I requalified, then maybe journalism, drama, or a travel-related focus … something which requires a foot in the door early.”

January 10, 2025

It’s not that I’m surprised, but Michael’s being very supportive so far. I’ve been thinking of this for months, he has not, which is what makes me wary. But since I don’t have all the answers yet nor do have a complete grasp of what I’m going to do after CR, I can’t see how this will affect him. So all we’ve dealt with is the answer to his question, “What do you want this to accomplish?” I quickly responded since it was the one answer I knew.
 

I hope Dr. Baum can answer some of the actual procedure and aftermath questions. Again, I am so thankful to live in a time where this is conceivable, let alone possible.

I have so much to learn. What will recovery actually be like and how long will it take? Where can I get more substantial medical information? How long before my complete tissue systems have regenerated? What does this mean for my skeletal system as I age? I would also need a complete explanation of the bioengineering component in this procedure. From what I understand, genes control the aging, death, and creation of new cells. So for those functions, the genes need to be reprogrammed for different cycles.

I admit I have already started fantasizing about going back to school and taking control of my choices again. Would I choose photographer, actor, or anthropologist? I don’t know, but I’m thrilled with the idea of having the choice again. Now that this could possibly happen, I’ve even told Inez and Becks about it. Not sure they completely grasped what I told them. How could they? I haven’t completely absorbed it myself. But, they initially asked me the same question as Michael, “Why?” After my answer and a brief explanation of the re-aging part Inez asked me to forward the document to her. Can’t see why she’d want to review the literature. She’s like Michael, completely content just the way things are.

I have not mentioned any of this to the rest of the Averys. Actually, I haven’t told any of them much in general about what I’ve been going through emotionally lately. To start with, Sarah would flip out if I told her I’ve been seeing a therapist. My nickname would come spilling out with each exclamation for the next few years. And since this is quite a lot bigger than restoring my mental balance, I will leave this conversation for the day before my surgery. The day may never come.

I haven’t mentioned this to Levy or my team yet, either. I’ll have to use most of the PTO time I have earned, so I’ll let him know when I schedule the days. Nothing against Levy, but I’m just his employee. He’s a great boss, but I’m sure he doesn’t care if I feel fulfilled. His main concern will be getting me to stay or finding my replacement.

The more I learn the more excited I am about the prospects. I have no clue what I’ll do if this doesn’t work out now. This was kind of what I was afraid of. If I don’t get out of my mud hole (with a crane), all the digging is only going to make the hole deeper.

While Dr. Baum was only superficially able to answer her questions, he referred her to the surgical team who would be handling her case. The surgical coordinator and nurses reconciled her inquiries about recovery while the surgeon, Dr. Sheng Chynn, addressed her specific medical concerns.

The bioengineering components weren’t as unnatural as she feared; this had been her main concern and holdback. Up until then, she had managed to suppress
most
of her hope. Dr. Chynn explained the process in detail, but essentially the bioengineer would splice the cells as needed, and interrupt, rather than artificially alter, the chromosomal stage responsible for cell death, called apoptosis. Cells from the tissue samples Charley provided would be treated and proliferated in this way before Dr. Chynn reintroduced them into her system during the procedure.

For the skeletal system, as long as Charley’s pre-test results showed she did not exhibit bone loss or deterioration, her skeletal system would see her through her youthful years without issue—with one caveat: the strength of existing bones could not be restored. This meant that if she had previous fractures or breakages in her bones from prior injuries, CR would not mend those bones. Luckily, Charley had never broken a bone in her life.

Lastly was her concern over post-op medications, which she was expected to take for over three months. This was not an idea she welcomed. Dr. Chynn understandably questioned her reservations for post-op medication when she would need to consent to pharmaceuticals to undergo the procedure in the first place. Charley explained a one-time application was much easier to accept than a longer-term commitment to drugs.

A few of the prescriptions would be for her own comfort after recovery, so they were optional. The surgeon advised she see a team nutritionist who would provide alternative diet-based remedies for symptoms. Charley was impressed by this suggestion and asked for a list of the medications and requested an appointment.

・ ・ ・

Charley investigated CR thoroughly, to the point where she felt comfortable moving forward. She arranged for her Renovation to take place the following month. Until then, she needed to make a decisive plan.

Chapter Ten

A little gale will soon disperse that cloud

And blow it to the source from whence it came:

The very beams will dry those vapours up,

For every cloud engenders not a storm.

—William Shakespeare,
King Henry the Sixth, Part III (5.3)

・
・
・

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

I’m 54 years old, but only for seven more hours. I will be 17 again by the end of the day; well, not quite then, but closer. Michael, Inez and Becks are with me, until I’m called into pre-op. Why they ask patients to come in hours before their surgery is beyond me just makes a person more nervous.

Finally, in the pre-op area I’m waiting again, both excited and scared. The nurse comes in with antibacterial body wipes and instructs me to open one packet at a time and wipe down my body thoroughly. “Save one wipe for your genitals.” She glides out of my curtained area as quickly and quietly as she’d come in.

My pre-op instructions included an emptying of the bowels, so I drank 64 ounces of lemon-flavored calcium citrate yesterday at 2pm and haven’t eaten anything since. I’m still uneasy because of this and I feel cold and clammy after the steri-cleansing.

About 20 minutes later, I was introduced to the anesthesiologist who cheerfully talked me through the steps. I’m going to be sedated, submerged in a kind of deprivation tank, and pharmaceuticals will be injected to place my body in a state of cellular suspension. During the actual procedure, robotic arms will connect me to the Renovation system while Dr. Chynn guides the process via a console. All the specifics have been preselected and validated with the system: the genes have been altered in the cells of the tissue and plasma samples I gave before and integrated into my biometrics, along with my chosen new age, growth stages, and any other criteria.

“You seem nervous. Don’t worry. Everything seems to be in order. You will be well taken care of.” This is what Dr. Bart, the drug doctor, said.
 

I was nervous. I didn’t remember if I’d asked how common the procedure was, were there failures, and if so, stats for those failures. I asked Dr. Bart as if he would know everything. His answer word for word was:

“Renovation has become a fairly popular procedure now. When they can, candidates are choosing it over individual anti-aging procedures. The criteria are more rigorous, so you can rest assured knowing that you’ve been fully cleared to proceed.”

Feeling a little better, I waited the final few minutes. Soon the process would begin. I felt an urgency, but can’t tell if it’s my gurgling insides from the colonic cleanse.

The nurse came to get me and I’m helped onto the surgical gurney. They wheel me into the gallery, the room with the tank, and this is where I blank out.

Before I even realized it, it was done. One minute I was laying on the cold steel of the surgical table in the pale blue hospital gown with tiny geometric emblems on it, and the next moment of cognition, I was in a hospital bed three days later (still in the gown).

I think it was a kind of induced coma.

When I woke up, Michael was sitting beside me reading a book. I don’t know what he was reading, but he didn’t seem worried or anxious. Smiling, the first thing he said was, “Rise and shine sleepyhead.”

I didn’t remember where I was and I was so thirsty. I said, “Where am I?” Sounding rather hoarse to my own ears and before he could answer, “What happened?”

“A lot happened. CR remember? Everything went well, just give it a minute it will come to you. I’m sure you’re fine, but it’s been trippy for me, the movie ‘Flatliners’ comes to mind. I’ve been waiting for you to come back to life. So, welcome back,” he answered, leaning in to give me a peck on the forehead and to hold my hand.

・ ・ ・

It’s been some time since you heard from me; I’d been having a difficult time managing the side effects of my Renovation, especially the nausea. Also, I was busy with the administrative side of my choice and the re-aging process. But it’s official now. My birth certificate has a “re-age” date next to my biological birthdate and my medical history, as well as current records all denote “re-age” instead of “age.”

It was a little disturbing to find my whole life and everything about me was in a global computer system. But as I’ve said before, it made the process easier; the world we live in is great for this sort of thing. Some 15 plus years ago, Michael and I had to physically go to three different offices just to get a one piece of paper—a marriage license—not exactly a pleasant way to punctuate the excitement of our pending nuptials.