Antibodies Quote by Susannah Cahalan
“On April 2, the nurses started my first round of five intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions. The clear IV bags hung on a metal pole above my head, their liquid trickling down into my vein. Each of those ordinary-looking bags contained the healthy antibodies of over a thousand blood donors and cost upwards of $20,000 per infusion. One thousand tourniquets, one thousand nurses, one thousand veins, one thousand blood-sugar regulating cookies, all just to help one patient.”
About This Quote
Source Memoir: Unbreakable Brain by Susannah Cahalan, 2020
Medical treatment involves complex logistics, high cost, and collective effort to deliver life‑saving therapy.
In simple terms: IVIG therapy is costly and requires many resources.
Key Takeaway
Appreciate the effort behind medical care.
Themes
healthcare
cost
collaboration
Mood
somber
hopeful
Type
reflective
informative
When to use this quote
- hospital stays
- insurance planning
- donor recruitment
Key Concepts
immunology
resource allocation
patient care
Questions to Reflect On
- What ethical issues arise from high‑cost treatments?
- How can we improve access?
A Different Perspective
Access may be limited for many patients.
![“Fundamentalism in most of its forms is the active creation of antibodies to some threatening [god] virus. As long as threatening religions or mutations [heresies] are present, fundamentalism will churn out antibodies to keep the population under control and prevent mutations from getting out of…” quote by Darrel Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f05/darrel-ray-22623_active_fundamentalism-in-most-of-its-forms-is-t_1584970.jpg)
