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Badgers CHAPTER IV - “situation terminal” TIME: FALL 2008 SETTING: MANDY, AN ATTRACTIVE ATHLETIC HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL RECRUIT FROM JANESVILLE CRAIG HIGH SCHOOL IN WISCONSIN BEGINS HER SECOND YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN. SHE IS COMPETING FOR A STARTING STRIKER POSITION AGAINST A SENIOR. HER MAJOR IS ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AND SHE HAS MOVED INTO THE DG ( DELTA GAMMA ) HOUSE ON CAMPUS. MANDY HAS A HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART, MAX, WHO ATTENDS RIPON COLLEGE - AN HOUR AWAY. MANDY IS CATHOLIC, THOUGH SHE HAS STOPPED ATTENDING MASS, HAS CLOSE FRIENDS - ALEX - WHO IS A BACKUP QUARTERBACK ON THE UNIVERSITY TEAM AND JAN - HER TALKATIVE AND ATTRACTIVE SORORITY SISTER. FOLLOW ALONG AS THE TURBULENT YEAR OF A SORORITY GAL AND ATHLETE AT THE UW IS EXPOSED. THERE IS RARELY A DULL MOMENT AS ACADEMIC, ATHLETIC, AND GREEK COLLEGE LIFE IN MADISON, WISCONSIN IS OPENLY EXPOSED. MANDY HEY JAN - WHAT IS THE SCOOP ABOUT THE FALL BALL - I KEEP HEARING IT IS SUCH A BIG DEAL NOW WITH THE FRATERNITY GUYS; SINCE MANY OF THEM ARE CONSIDERED LOSERS IF THEY DON’T HAVE A GREEK DATE. JAN EXACTLY - BUT WHO WANTS TO GO TO WITH A LOSER - ALL THE GOOD ONES ARE TAKEN - AND WHO WOULD WANT A CREEP HANGING AROUND YOU FOR A SINGLE NIGHT WHO WOULD EXPECT SOMETHING MORE THAN A DATE AND FUTURE PLANS - NO WAY. MANDY WELL ALL I HEAR IS THAT THERE ARE TONS OF FOLKS BEING ASKED OUT WHO HAVE NOT HAD DATES IN MONTHS SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS GETTING TO BE A BIG DEAL. JAN WELL I’M NOT GOING - CAROLYN HAS OUR MAN RICH WELLER - OUR BEAUTIFUL MALE FROM CHICAGO AND THE # 2 TENNIS GUY ON THE TEAM - HE MAY MAKE THE NCAA FINALS - WHO KNOWS.

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MANDY MY GOD HE’S CUTE - I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M SAYING THAT WITH MAX ON LIFE SUPPORT. JAN DON’T LET YOUR PARENTS KNOW NO MATTER WHAT. MANDY WELL MOM ALREADY DOESN’T LIKE WHAT MADISON HAS DONE TO ME - BUT I’M NOT GOING WITH A GUY MY WHOLE LIFE AND BLOW COLLEGE - THAT IS WHAT THAT GENERATION DID. DO YOU THINK OUR PARENTS WERE ACTUALLY HAPPY OR DID THEY DO THIS OUT OF JUST PLAIN DUTY ?

JAN PROBABLY BOTH - WHO KNOWS - IT WORKED FOR THEM. ANYWAY ARE THINGS WORKING OUT WITH ALVERNO COLLEGE’S VOLLEYBALL TEAM ? THAT WAS COOL FOR THAT COACH AND TEAM TO ALLOW YOU TO PRACTICE WITH THEM. MANDY MY GOD YES - YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT A HUNK THEY HAVE FOR A COACH - HE’S LIKE 25, CUTE, SINGLE, A GREAT ATHLETE, AND HE IS GOING PLACES - ALL OF ALVERNO COLLEGE LOVES THIS GUY. JAN SO WHY IF HE’S SO GREAT IS HE STILL IN D3 ?

MANDY WHO KNOWS - BUT THESE GALS EVEN THOUGH D3 ARE REALLY GOOD - SOME ARE BETTER THAN THE UW TEAM. JAN BUT NONE HAVE SCHOLARSHIPS - RIGHT ?

MANDY WELL NOT ATHLETIC - BUT ACADEMIC - THESE GALS ARE SMART AND ALL GOING PLACES. THE UW IS PROBABLY OVER ALL MORE ATHLETIC - BUT WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT AS INTELLIGENT. IT IS KIND OF COOL WORKING OUT HERE - MOST OF THESE GALS ARE JEALOUS OF THE UW AS WE HAVE ALL THE VOLLEYBALL PRESTIGE IN THE STATE. JAN WELL SOUNDS LIKE OTHER THAN MAX STILL VERY SICK THINGS ARE GOING OK IN MILWAUKEE. MANDY YES - I’VE BEEN ABLE TO GET THINGS DONE ON LINE INCLUDING TESTS, PAPERS, RESEARCH - EVERYTHING. 3

JAN WELL I’M BEING TEXTED - GOT TO GO. TAKE CARE. MANDY BYE JAN AND DO ME A FAVOR - GO TO THE FALL BALL AND CHECK OUT THAT YOU KNOW WHAT CAROLYN AND RICK FOR ME. JAN BUT THERE ARE NO DATES LEFT PERIOD. MANDY ASK THE ­TA OUT WHO HANGS A BIT AT THE KK. JAN GOTCHA BYE. MANDY HEY ALEX - WHAT IS GOING ON - I HEARD YOU MADE S ­ I AND A FEW OTHER BIG TIME MEDIA PLACES - LIKE ESPN. ALEX I WAS REALLY LUCKY - THAT PASS I THREW I KNEW WHEN I LET IT GO WAS A BIG MISTAKE - AND THEN THE CORNER AND SAFETY HIT EACH OTHER IN MID AIR TRYING TO GRAB IT - LEAVING THE RECEIVER OWENS WIDE OPEN - I LOOKED A TON BETTER ON FILM THAN IT FELT AT THE TIME. MANDY WELL NOW THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU STARTING FOREVER IF THE STARTER ISN’T UP TO SNUFF - WHAT’S HAPPENING AT PRACTICE ?

ALEX WELL I ONLY TALK TO THE DAILY CARDINAL AND THE STATE JOURNAL BECAUSE FOX SPORTS AND ESPN JUST KEEP DIGGING STUFF UP THAT DOESN’T NEED DIGGING. MANDY LIKE WHAT ?

ALEX WELL THESE MEDIA GUYS GO INTO EVERYTHING - THEY EVEN KNOW I’M FRIENDS WITH YOU AND KNOW ABOUT YOU AND MAX.......AND THAT CAROLYN HAS STOLEN RICH WELLER FROM YOU AND HAS YOUR STARTING POSITION NOW THAT YOU’RE GONE. MANDY NO WAY - HOW COULD THEY KNOW THIS STUFF ? IS THERE AN INSIDE INFORMANT ?

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ALEX I THINK THERE IS SOMEONE HANGING OUT AT THE KK GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT EVERYTHING. NOT THAT THEY’LL PUBLISH ANY OF THIS - BUT THESE NATIONAL REPORTERS KNOW FAR MORE THAN ANYONE COULD IMAGINE. MANDY WELL THAT’S ALL I NEED - NATIONAL GOSSIP - I’M NOT EVEN A NAME TYPE PLAYER LIKE YOU. ALEX I WOULDN’T WORRY ABOUT IT. MANDY YOU ARE RIGHT - WHY WORRY ABOUT ME - I’M JUST SECOND STRING. ALEX I’M JUST TAKING THIS MEDIA STUFF IN STRIDE - MY GOD ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IS UNBELIEVABLE TOUGH HERE AT THE UW; AND I HAVE TO GET A DECENT GRADE IN ORDER TO GET INTO DENTAL SCHOOL SOMEWHERE - YOU KNOW DENTAL SCHOOLS ARE REALLY SMALL IN NUMBERS AND NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INTO. MANDY WHAT IF YOU GET DRAFTED ALEX ?

ALEX OH I’D PROBABLY GO TO THE COMBINE - BUT THEN AGAIN I MAY NOT - I’M JUST NOT THAT GOOD. MANDY FOX SPORTS SAYS YOUR ARM STRENGTH IS EXCELLENT. ALEX WELL MAYBE - BUT MY ACCURACY SUCKS - AT LEAST I THINK SO. MANDY WELL YOU’LL GET LOTS OF EXPOSURE IN A BOWL GAME SHOULD BE INTERESTING. ALEX BUT WE MAINLY RUN, RUN, RUN AND THEN RUN SOME MORE - WE DON’T PASS MUCH. I WOULDN’T SEE MYSELF BEING A SOUGHT AFTER QB NEXT YEAR. I MIGHT MAKE AN NFL PRACTICE TAXI SQUAD. THAT’S IT. NO MORE.

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MANDY WELL MOM IS TEXTING ME - CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS - SAYS TO QUIT STUDYING AND GO TO THE HOSPITAL. ALEX WELL THE ONLY OTHER NEWS IS THAT JAN WANTED ME TO GO WITH HER TO THE FALL BALL AS FRIENDS - I SAID I’D BE TIED UP WITH FOOTBALL UNTIL PROBABLY 9PM THAT NIGHT - WHO KNOWS MAYBE I’LL GO - SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT SPYING ON CAROLYN AND RICH. SEEMS PRETTY DEVIOUS TO ME - BUT WHO KNOWS MAYBE I’LL GO AND HAVE A BEER. MANDY GOT TO GO - ANOTHER TEXT FROM MOM - GO TO THE FALL BALL ALEX - SEE YOU LATER. BYE. ALEX BYE MANDY.

MANDY MOM - HOW COULD YOU HAVE ALLOWED THIS WITHOUT TELLING ME ?

MOM I DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART TO TELL YOU LAST NIGHT AND IT WAS A REAL ROUGH DECISION FOR MAX’S PARENTS. IT IS NOT MY DECISION. IT IS MAX’S PARENTS AND FAMILY’S DECISION. MANDY WHEN WILL ALL THIS HAPPEN ?

MOM TONIGHT - THEY ARE PLANNING ON TRANSPLANTING EVERYTHING INCLUDING MAX’S BRAIN CELLS, THYROID, HEART, KIDNEYS, LUNGS, GENITAL ORGANS, EYES, EARS, BOWEL, LIVER, PANCREAS, ADRENALS, AND YOU NAME IT ALL FOR CLINICAL AND RESEARCH USE. MANDY BUT MOM - YOU DIDN’T TELL ME - ZERO. MOM WELL I GET THE FEELING THAT YOU DIDN’T REALLY CARE ABOUT MAX AS A BOYFRIEND ANY MORE - I UNDERSTAND - I KNOW MORE THAN YOU THINK. MANDY WHAT DO YOU MEAN ?

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MOM WELL I WAS YOUNG ONCE AND HAD A BOYFRIEND LIKE MAX WHO WAS MR. EVERYTHING - BUT I GREW TO NOT LOVE HIM EVERYONE SAID WHY DON’T YOU HANG ONTO HIM FOREVER - YOU’LL NEVER GET ANYTHING BETTER. MANDY MOM - YOU’RE TALKING LIKE I NEVER HEARD YOU BEFORE. WHAT BROUGHT THIS ALL ON ?

MOM WELL I DIDN’T WANT TO TELL YOU BUT I THINK I MUST. MANDY WHAT IS IT MOM - YOU ARE HIDING SOMETHING. MOM OK - WELL MAX WAS ACTUALLY DATING SOMEONE IN RIPON. HE DIDN’T HAVE THE HEART TO TELL YOU THOUGH. HE HAD SO MUCH RESPECT FOR YOU - HIS MOM TOLD ME WHEN I SAW HER IN THE SUPERMARKET IN JANESVILLE NOT TOO LONG AGO. MANDY WHAT ? I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT !

MOM WELL IT MAY NOT MATTER SINCE THE DOCTORS ARE COMING OUT TO TELL US A FEW THINGS - NONE OF IT IS GOOD. MAX’S FAMILY HAS BEEN MEETING WITH FATHER HALLORAN ALL DAY. MANDY WELL I’M GLAD YOU TOLD ME MOM - I GUESS I DON’T FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE I’VE HAD STRONG FEELINGS TOWARDS SOMEONE ELSE AT THE UW. MOM I SUSPECTED THIS BY YOUR PHONE CALLS - BUT ANYWAY WE’VE REMAINED REALLY GOOD FRIENDS WITH MAX’S FAMILY AND I WANT TO SEE THIS OUT. HIS GIRLFRIEND IS ON HER WAY HERE FROM RIPON - SO ANYWAY I WANTED YOU TO FIND OUT FROM ME BEFORE YOU BECAME CONFRONTED WITH ALL THIS. MANDY SO MAX ESSENTIALLY HAD TWO GIRLFRIENDS - RIGHT ?

MOM I GUESS SO. BUT ANYWAY HERE COMES MAX’S FAMILY AND SHERYL - SHE ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT YOU - JUST BE REAL NICE AND RESPECTFUL. TRUST ME, UNDER REACT TO THE SITUATION. REMEMBER THIS IS ABOUT MAX - NOT US. 7

MANDY OK - I’LL BE COOL. SHERYL HI MANDY - SORRY WE HAVE TO MEET IN SUCH AN UNHAPPY TIME. MANDY HELLO - NICE TO MEET YOU - IT’S HARD FOR ME TO TALK - BUT I ALWAYS WANTED WHAT WAS BEST FOR MAX WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE PRESCHOOL. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT ?

SHERYL THAT IS UNUSUAL THESE DAYS. MAX ALWAYS SPOKE HIGHLY OF YOU. LOOK I KNOW THIS WHOLE THING IS WEIRD FOR BOTH OF US AND I ALMOST DIDN’T COME - BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR MAX - BOTH OF US SHOULD PROBABLY BECOME FRIENDS, BEHAVE, AND SUPPORT HIS FAMILY BECAUSE WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO HEAR ISN’T GOOD. MANDY OH - HERE COMES THE INTENSIVIST WITH THE HORRID BEDSIDE MANNER. WE’LL TALK LATER - THANKS FOR BEING FRANK ABOUT THINGS. YOU’RE FROM.......

SHERYL KENOSHA. MANDY THAT ALMOST MAKES US JANESVILLE PEOPLE NEIGHBORS I GUESS. INTENSIVIST HELLO EVERYONE - I HAVE BUT A COUPLE MINUTES AND I’VE ALREADY TALKED THIS SITUATION OVER THOROUGHLY WITH MAX’S PARENTS. MOM DOCTOR, THIS IS ALL OF MAX’S SUPPORT TEAM - FRIENDS, GIRLFRIENDS, AND FAMILY. INTENSIVIST WELL I’M NOT KNOWN FOR MY BEDSIDE MANNER I’M TOLD - BUT THIS CASE HAS REALLY AFFECTED MYSELF. I GUESS I ALWAYS WONDER WHY ON EARTH SO PERFECT OF A PERSON AS MAX HAS TO SUFFER AND LEAVE OUR WORLD. I MEAN I TAKE CARE OF INFANTS WHO NEVER STAND A CHANCE, FOLKS WHO ARE ELDERLY AND SICK AND WHO JUST WON’T GIVE UP AND.....

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MANDY EXCUSE ME DOCTOR - DID YOU SAY MAX IS LEAVING US ? IT’S HARD FOR ME TO TALK. INTENSIVIST I’LL DO THE TALKING........

MOM HER NAME IS MANDY DOCTOR. INTENSIVIST OK MANDY - MAX IS BRAIN DEAD BY CLINICAL HARVARD BRAIN DEATH CRITERIA AND BRAIN SCANS. WE ALLOWED HIM OFF HIS COMA MEDS THE PAST TWO DAYS - INITIALLY HE RESPONDED BY SEIZING CONSTANTLY DESPITE EVERY KNOWN ANTI SEIZURE MEDICATION ADMINISTERED AT HIGH DOSE. SHERYL OH MY GOD - POOR MAX. INTENSIVIST LET ME FINISH FRIENDS AND FAMILY - I’M A BUSY PHYSICIAN. MOM OK GO ON DOCTOR. INTENSIVIST YES - WHERE WAS I ? OK MAX WAS THEN ALLOWED TO WAKE UP AND WE HAD NO SEIZURE ACTIVITY ONCE COMING OFF THE PROPOFOL DRIP - AN ANESTHETIC AGENT - THE SECOND TIME. BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE HAD NO BRAIN ACTIVITY CLINICALLY - AND THE SCAN CONFIRMED WHAT WE THOUGHT. MAX WILL NOT RECOVER EVER IN OUR WORLD........

MANDY SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ?

INTENSIVIST YOU ARE INTERRUPTING ME AGAIN MANDY. CLINICALLY SINCE MAX IS QUITE HEALTHY AND WITH GOOD ORGANS AND WITH THE CONSENT OF HIS FAMILY - WELL MAX WILL DONATE MULTIPLE ORGANS OF HIS BODY TO MANY PEOPLE. WE ARE PREPARING HIM FOR TRANSPLANT DONOR SURGERY AS WE SPEAK AND THE TRANSPLANT TEAM IS ON THE WAY IN. MANDY DOES THIS MEAN YOU WILL CARVE HIM UP AND SEND PARTS ALL OVER DOCTOR ?

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INTENSIVIST PHRASE THIS HOW YOU LIKE MANDY, BUT MEDICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY MAX WILL PROBABLY BE IN 10 - 15 BODIES AND RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDING STEM CELLS. MANDY AND EVERYONE AGREED TO THIS FROM MAX’S FAMILY ?

INTENSIVIST YES ABSOLUTELY - IN FACT MAX ON THE BACK OF HIS WISCONSIN DRIVER’S LICENSE AGREED TO BECOME A DONOR IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. FATHER HALLORAN AND FAMILY HAVE GIVEN THEIR CONSENT AND AUTHORIZATION TO HAVE MAX CARRY OUT HIS WISHES TO CARRY ON HIS LIFE FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS. MOM AREN’T STEM CELLS AGAINST THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S TEACHINGS ?

INTENSIVIST WELL IT DEPENDS ON WHO GETS THEM, HOW THEY ARE USED, AND WHAT GOOD MANKIND WILL BENEFIT FROM AN INDIVIDUAL’S DNA. SHERYL MAX’S MOM GAVE APPROVAL TO ALL USES FOR DISEASE AND ALL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH - BARRING REPLICATION OF MAX. INTENSIVIST WELL WE GET INTO VERY GREY AREAS MEDICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY WITH STEM CELLS - ESPECIALLY SINCE MAX WAS SO HEALTHY, ATHLETIC, SMART, AND GOOD LOOKING. MOM WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT DOCTOR ?

INTENSIVIST WELL WE WILL NOT REPLICATE SAM’S STEM CELLS OR EVEN USE HIS GENITALS OR SPERM CELLS FOR HUMAN REPLICATION....BUT THERE ARE MANY USES OF THESE CELLS FOR ICSI ?

SHERYL WHAT IS THAT ?

INTENSIVIST INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION.

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MOM IT IS AMAZING DOCTOR HOW A DEATH TURNS INTO AN ORGAN PROCUREMENT AND A HEN HOUSE. AMAZING !

INTENSIVIST WELL THERE IS A TON OF RESEARCH NATIONALLY IN SOME SUPERB ETHICAL LABS REGARDING INFERTILITY TREATMENT IN MANY WAYS - IN VITRO PETRI DISH SPERM AND EGG INTRA TUBAL AND ENDOMETRIAL UTERINE IMPLANTS OF SPERM. WE JUST DON’T HAVE ENOUGH DONORS AND...

MANDY GIVE ME A BREAK - DID MAX CONSENT TO ALL OF THIS ?

INTENSIVIST INDIRECTLY YES - IN FACT WE’VE EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO BEGIN STUDYING PREGNANT OFFSPRING FROM A YOUNG DYING PATIENT TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAB AND ACTUAL HUMAN DIFFERENCES IN GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MATURATION IN ALL PHASES. BUT WE HAVE NO KNOWN PREGNANT WOMEN FROM MAX. YES, FAMILY AND MAX INDIRECTLY HAVE AGREED TO ALL OF THIS. TRUST ME, THIS IS A GOOD SITUATION AND MAX’S DONATION TO SCIENCE WILL BE MUCH APPRECIATED. AS WE SPEAK MAX HAS MATCHED A 12 YEAR OLD CHILD WITH A CARDIOMYOPATHY AT ­LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY IN CALIFORNIA - WHO WOULD OTHERWISE DIE. MOM I GUESS I’M SADDENED DOCTOR BY KNOWING THAT A FEW DAYS AGO MAX WAS A LIVELY COLLEGE STUDENT STUDYING TO BE A DOCTOR AND NOW HE IS DONATING HIS BODILY PARTS TO THE WORLD. I GUESS I NEED TO GO TO MASS TO FIND SOME ANSWERS FOR MYSELF. THANK YOU DOCTOR. MANDY MOM - I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING - NOW WE PLAN A FUNERAL WITH A CLOSED CASKET KNOWING THAT MAX AND HIS OFFSPRING ARE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. I’M OFF TO MADISON. I’LL CALL WHEN I GET TO THE DG HOUSE. I THINK I’LL CRY FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS STRAIGHT.

END OF BADGERv

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