Boy in the bubble
Encyclopedia
Bubble boy, boy in the bubble and boy in the plastic bubble are colloquialisms used to describe a person who must live in a microbiologically sterile
environment for medical reasons. Notable subjects of this usage are:
In popular culture, the terms have been used for:
Sterilization (microbiology)
Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...
environment for medical reasons. Notable subjects of this usage are:
- Ted DeVitaTed DeVitaTed DeVita was a victim of severe aplastic anemia who was forced to live in a sterile hospital room for eight and a half years....
(1962–1980), a victim of severe aplastic anaemia who was forced to live in a sterile hospital room - David VetterDavid VetterDavid Phillip Vetter was a boy from Shenandoah, Texas, United States who suffered from a rare genetic disease now known as severe combined immune deficiency syndrome . Forced to live in a sterile environment, he became popular with the media as the boy in the plastic bubble...
(1971–1984), a victim of Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome who was forced to live in a sterile environment
In popular culture, the terms have been used for:
- The Boy in the Plastic BubbleThe Boy in the Plastic BubbleThe Boy in the Plastic Bubble is a 1976 made-for-TV movie inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, and P.J. Soles...
, a 1976 film starring John Travolta - "The Boy in the Bubble", a 1986 song by Paul Simon from the album Graceland (album)Graceland (album)Graceland was Paul Simon's highest charting album in the U.S. in over a decade, reaching #3 in the national Billboard charts, receiving a certification of 5× Platinum by the RIAA and eventually selling over 14 million copies, making it Simon's most commercially successful album...
- "The Bubble Boy" (Seinfeld), a 1992 episode of the Seinfeld TV series
- Bubble Boy (film), a 2001 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal