Score |
96
The Stranger We Once Knew
<p>She was once indistinguishable from the rest of us—a healthy cell, regulated and cooperative, contributing quietly to the body’s daily function. She responded to signals, divided only when instructed, and took no more than her share. There was nothing remarkable about her, and that was the point.</p><p>The change did not announce itself. At first, it was a lapse in attention, a missed signal, a slight delay in response. These deviations were easy to excuse. Cells adapt. Variation is not inherently dangerous.</p><p>Then her structure began to shift. She altered her appearance without altering her identity, acquiring mutations that allowed her to look normal while behaving otherwise. She grew larger, divided more frequently, and demanded increased resources. Blood vessels were redirected toward her. Nutrients were consumed at a rate disproportionate to her function.</p><p>What distinguished her was not aggression, but disregard. She no longer responded to inhibitory signals. The mechanisms that limited division no longer applied. Apoptosis, once a final act of cooperation, was resisted.</p><p>As she multiplied, the rest of us suffered. Oxygen delivery declined. Space became restricted. Normal tissue architecture was disrupted. The body weakened not because she attacked, but because she consumed.</p><p>At some point, she ceased to be regarded as a member of the system. Not out of malice, but necessity. What she had become no longer served the organism as a whole.</p><p>Intervention, when it came, was indiscriminate. Cells like us were destroyed alongside her. Tissue was cut away. Toxic agents were introduced in an attempt to restore balance. Survival, if achieved, came at a cost.</p><p>Cancer is not a foreign invader. It is a familiar cell that loses regulation, prioritizes replication over function, and persists beyond its usefulness. Its danger lies not in intent, but in autonomy—unchecked, unresponsive, and ultimately incompatible with the life it depends on.</p><p><br/></p>
|
15
Other insights from Aima
Referral Earning
Points-to-Coupons
Insights for you.
Comments