How a Man's Get Rich Quick Scheme Turned His Lungs Into Leather

On July 3rd, 1992, 35-year-old George Decker was cooking in his kitchen, happily stirring a pot, its contents clanking against the metal interior, when suddenly he was hit by an unexpected coughing fit.

[coughs]

The spoon fell from his hands as he clenched his chest, unable to breathe.

Feeling as if his ribs were collapsing in on themselves, he fell forwards into the kitchen counter, holding onto its edges with one hand to keep him steady as he dug into his pockets with the other, desperately searching for his handkerchief.

In the next room, his girlfriend Juanita was startled by the inhuman guttural noises coming from the kitchen and ran over to see what was happening.

She was shocked to see George bent over the counter, coughing violently into his handkerchief.

She began to ask him what was wrong, but then went pale the moment she saw the handkerchief.

It was covered in blood.

[gasps]

George quickly tried to hide the evidence by shoving the blood-covered handkerchief into his pocket, but it was too late.

Juanita had already seen it and was now persistent on taking him to the hospital.

But George, despite barely being able to get a word out in between coughs that rattled his entire body, flatly refused.

What kind of normal person suddenly starts coughing up blood and thinks to himself, "Eh, it'll sort itself out"?

Yeah, well, out of all the words that I would use to describe George Decker, I don't think normal would be one of them.

Okay.

Well, whatever his deal is, he should get it checked out.

He could have tuberculosis.

Oh, I, I mean, yeah, that's not a bad guess.

Its early signs are much like the common cold, so it's common for most people to ignore them, that is until TB tightens its grip, the cough intensifies, and blood eventually comes with it.

Even at that point, tuberculosis is generally treatable.

But there are some far stranger conditions, like George's for example, where coughing blood can be a sign that it's already too late.

Unwilling to ignore the red mark of death that her boyfriend had coughed up into his handkerchief, Juanita managed to drag George into his car and take him to the hospital.

But by the time they made it to the emergency room, George's cough had died down to some extent, which only gave him more reason to try and convince Juanita that he wasn't in need of medical attention.

He was adamant on making her believe that everything was all right and that they should just go back home.

But Juanita wasn't budging, and soon upon entering, a nurse approached the couple to inquire about the reason behind their visit.

On July 3rd, 1992, 35-year-old George Decker was cooking in his kitchen, happily stirring a pot, its contents clanking against the metal interior, when suddenly he was hit by an unexpected coughing fit.

[coughs]

The spoon fell from his hands as he clenched his chest, unable to breathe.

Feeling as if his ribs were collapsing in on themselves, he fell forwards into the kitchen counter, holding onto its edges with one hand to keep him steady as he dug into his pockets with the other, desperately searching for his handkerchief.

In the next room, his girlfriend Juanita was startled by the inhuman guttural noises coming from the kitchen and ran over to see what was happening.

She was shocked to see George bent over the counter, coughing violently into his handkerchief.

She began to ask him what was wrong, but then went pale the moment she saw the handkerchief.

It was covered in blood.

[gasps]

George quickly tried to hide the evidence by shoving the blood-covered handkerchief into his pocket, but it was too late.

Juanita had already seen it and was now persistent on taking him to the hospital.

But George, despite barely being able to get a word out in between coughs that rattled his entire body, flatly refused.

What kind of normal person suddenly starts coughing up blood and thinks to himself, "Eh, it'll sort itself out"?

Yeah, well, out of all the words that I would use to describe George Decker, I don't think normal would be one of them.

Okay.

Well, whatever his deal is, he should get it checked out.

He could have tuberculosis.

Oh, I, I mean, yeah, that's not a bad guess.

Its early signs are much like the common cold, so it's common for most people to ignore them, that is until TB tightens its grip, the cough intensifies, and blood eventually comes with it.

Even at that point, tuberculosis is generally treatable.

But there are some far stranger conditions, like George's for example, where coughing blood can be a sign that it's already too late.

Unwilling to ignore the red mark of death that her boyfriend had coughed up into his handkerchief, Juanita managed to drag George into his car and take him to the hospital.

But by the time they made it to the emergency room, George's cough had died down to some extent, which only gave him more reason to try and convince Juanita that he wasn't in need of medical attention.

He was adamant on making her believe that everything was all right and that they should just go back home.

But Juanita wasn't budging, and soon upon entering, a nurse approached the couple to inquire about the reason behind their visit.