Nursing Hell
Nursing Hell
Dementia.
It was arguably the worst disease a human could contract. According to surveys, it proudly took the number one spot for the disease people least wanted to catch.
Basically, it was a brain issue where all functions degenerated. But the biggest problem was that humans are social animals. In the wild, they would just die on their own, but unfortunately, humans couldn't do that.
There were legal issues, and there were human rights issues.
And most people who got dementia were elderly. They were people who had married, built families, and had children.
It was painful for the children, and it was painful for the patients themselves.
Dementia wasn't a disease where you died alone. It was a disease that dragged everyone around you into hell with you. You didn't die immediately upon getting dementia. It was a disease where you died slowly over the course of several years.
A full recovery was impossible, and slowing the progression was the best one could hope for. It was a disease that never truly healed. Furthermore, it was a disease that completely ruined the lives of both the patient and their family.
From the patient's perspective, they became fools without ever knowing when they would leave this world. Unlike cancer or other diseases, it gave them no time to get their affairs in order.
Moreover, as dementia progressed, the patient became aggressive, and communication became increasingly difficult. They were turning into beasts wearing human masks.
From the children's perspective, they had no choice but to slowly watch their parents, who were once like idols to them, turn into beasts.
Renowned pharmaceutical companies had poured tens of trillions into developing dementia treatments, but many still hadn't even made it past clinical trials. There were even companies that had declared they were giving up on new drug development entirely, stating that dementia treatments couldn't be developed with the technology of this era.
And that company wasn't some small business, either! It was a company with enough resources to be ranked among the top 5 pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Anyway, a dementia treatment that was impossible to develop with current technology. A small pharmaceutical company had brought one forward.
"You developed a cure for dementia?"
"Yes."
Park Min-su, an employee working at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, looked at the woman with a bizarre expression. She was a woman with neat attire and a haughty expression. She had a pretty enough face to be a celebrity.
But that wasn't the point. She had brought a dementia treatment, hadn't she?
"I would like to apply for an IND for a dementia treatment."
"Ah..."
Park Min-su couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. If she had said this to a major pharmaceutical company, it would have been understandable, and he would have helped with the process. But to claim to have developed a dementia treatment at a company he'd never heard of in his life...!
It was a story that would make a passing dog laugh.
"The documents are already prepared."
Park Min-su looked at the documents the woman had brought. The required documents were neat. There was no need to pick a fight. Park Min-su nodded. It was a treatment that would end in failure anyway.
Since she had brought all the documents necessary for approval, he just had to approve it. There was no reason for him to say anything. Was it the civil servant mindset? Since the paperwork was perfect, there was no reason to send her back.
He didn't have high expectations. Treating dementia in the first place? It was impossible. However, looking at the contents of the documents, the results were very good.
"Looking at the documents, the prognosis is good... Is there really a possibility of curing dementia?"
Park Min-su said in a voice without much expectation. He, too, had a wish for dementia to be cured. Because Park Min-su's mother currently had dementia. It wasn't severe yet, but it was getting serious.
Right now, daily life was somewhat possible, but in a little while, she would have to be sent to a nursing home. The feeling of losing his only mother was devastating. And it wasn't like she was going to die right away or anything like that, either.
Watching her slowly lose her reason and seeing her original self disappear—it was like his heart was crumbling. The worst part was that he had to just watch all of this happen.
"Yes. It is definitely possible."
"I understand."
Park Min-su sent the woman away. It would just be one of the many common failures anyway. Because dementia was a disease that hadn't seen much progress despite nearly 30 years of research. A small company like this didn't have the ability to make a treatment.
After all, even the big companies that were flying high failed at dementia treatments.
However, on one hand, he had a wish that it would work.
Shin Ye-ji went home with a depressed expression. She had to get home quickly. Even though it hadn't even been 10 minutes since she left the house.
Originally, a home should be a cozy nest. A place to rest one's tired body and heal after external activities. That was what a home was.
But for Shin Ye-ji, home was like a prison. It was better to be wandering outside.
Why did she come to think this way?
It was none other than...
"Kkieeeek!"
As soon as she opened the door, Shin Ye-ji couldn't help but scream at the sight.
"Mom!"
Shin Ye-ji let out a piercing scream as she entered the house. It was because of her mother, whom she had once loved and adored the most.
"Mom!!! Please, don't do this!!!"
Her mother was smearing feces on the wall and shrieking. Her mother was in the severe stages of dementia. She had become an animal that couldn't recognize people and could only eat, sleep, and defecate like a newborn baby.
"No, no! Don't!"
Her aged, wrinkled face was grotesquely distorted. Shin Ye-ji had no choice but to shed tears and clean up the mess.
Until her parents got dementia, Shin Ye-ji's life had been a smooth path. A reliable husband and even a child like a rabbit. One could say she was living a life that anyone would envy.
But from a few years ago, her life had entered a dark tunnel. It was because her mother had been diagnosed with dementia. Moreover, the progression was very fast.
Her father had already passed away. She couldn't make the choice to send her only mother to a nursing home. She was living in her mother's house and taking care of her alone. Her husband helped when he finished work, but... that wasn't enough.
"Who are you? Mom!!! Where is Mom?"
Her mother was looking for her grandmother, who had already passed away. Shin Ye-ji couldn't help but wail at the sight of her mother.
And what was even more terrible was that none of this was getting better. If anything, it would only get worse.
She finished cleaning up everything her mother had smeared on the wall and messed up. Shin Ye-ji's face was much more haggard than when she had entered the house. It was so painful that she had even thought about attempting suicide. But she stopped because she thought of her child and husband.
The hellish war had ended. Her mother fell asleep. It was the only time Shin Ye-ji could rest.
She scoured the internet in every direction, collecting information about dementia treatments.
However, the search results were all hopeless. Because dementia treatments were something that could never be developed with current technology.
Shin Ye-ji clung to a glimmer of hope. It was participating in a clinical trial attempted by a pharmaceutical company.
"Jaeseong Bio?"
There were almost no companies conducting clinical trials for dementia treatments. Most pharmaceutical companies were skeptical about dementia treatment research. And it wasn't even overseas; there was even less research domestically.
However, she saw a post that a company called Jaeseong Bio was recruiting a clinical trial group for a dementia treatment. She applied immediately.
If she could somehow return her only mother to her original state... she wouldn't regret giving up all her assets. Money could be saved again.
"A dementia treatment?"
"Yes, Jaeseong-nim."
"Is that really possible?"
"Yes. It is a disease that can be easily treated with medication."
I couldn't help but be surprised. The medical technology of the future was cutting-edge. I asked just in case.
"Is immortality or something like that also possible?"
The ultimate goal that humans desire.
It was eternal life, living forever.
Soyeon nodded.
"Yes. But the current functions of the Medical Ship are insufficient. Most functions are unusable."
"Is that so...?"
I was just surprised that it was possible. Anyway, I was able to hear the story from Soyeon.
"Jaeseong-nim, please do not reveal yourself to the public. You might unnecessarily attract the attention of others."
"Got it."
"One of the Cultured Humans will become the major shareholder. It's for deception."
Cultured Humans did not betray. Soyeon said that even if they became the major shareholder, they wouldn't take the money and run away.
It was as if Cultured Humans had a mental imprint that swore absolute loyalty to the Captain.
"Okay."
I had no intention of interfering with what Soyeon was doing.
Soyeon would know more about these things than me, a middle schooler.