To Dream the Impossible Dream
Andrew Symington and His Desperate Search for a Cure
Isaiah 11:6
The wolf will lie down with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf and the lion and the yearling together and a little child will lead them
Alexander Symington’s days began very early, often at 3 in the morning as he prepared for a typical day at the office. But only his closest staff knew how ill he was, in fact, dying from lymphoma. He kept this secret from almost everyone outside his inner circle because he had the wherewithal and the financial resources to do so, because he had his medical team in the same offices with him on the 65th floor of the Balatech building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.
His family had come to Minnesota in the 1880s to mine for copper and he had made a name for himself as a young man as one of the designers of the first computer processors. There wasn’t a thing that Mr Symington didn’t know about microprocessors, as the CEO of the Balatech Corporation, he was a leader in his industry. But despite his great fortune, he had an aggressive lymphoma, which had metastasised and was slowly destroying his body. His life span was numbered in the weeks, not months and he was desperate to find a way out.
Alexander had a full-time medical staff in his offices on the 65th floor. At 6:00 AM is attending physician Dr Carlisle Angleton arrived to do an examination and then some bloodwork. For months Alexander had been Dr Angleton’s only patient, as he struggled to maintain Alexander’s public persona of health and vigour. But Alexander was far from health, masquerading as the severity of his illness with the aid of numerous nurses and a Hollywood makeup expert named Dolores Myers.
“Good morning,” Dolores greeted everyone at 7:30 AM when she arrived. She carried a large bag of makeup and ointments and poultices for pain and to reduce the swelling in his physiognomy, Which appeared both Gandhi and fellow from numerous and the current episodes of nausea and vomiting, and bloated from a large amount of water his handlers had instructed him to drink. Dr Angleton was planning this morning on administering a chemotherapy treatment as well. At 8 o’clock, Dennis Fulcrum, Alexander’s assistant also arrived carrying a small leather briefcase with important legal papers for Alexander to sign.
“Good morning, everyone,” Dennis greeted. “The man with the funny papers has arrived.”
“Perhaps you should consider calling a doctor, Mr Symington, “he spoke sardonically. “Oh, I forgot. He pretty much lives here now. I have those papers for you to sign on the project in Bangladesh. Do you read Bengali?”
“Don’t mock me, Dennis. I am still the one in charge here.”
“You’ve got a team of doctors in your offices. By my calculations, it appears this illness is in charge.”
Alexander sat down a moment in a chair. He appeared lightheaded.
“I don’t see how you think you’re going to pull this off. The board, the shareholders, the world are going to discover how sick you are and all hell is going to break into our white dress-shirt world.”
“No negativism,” Alexander almost barked. “Not in my offices while I’m still alive.”
Dr Angleton began to listen to Alexander’s heart and lungs with a stethoscope.
“Why does it appear I am the only voice of reason in this make-believe kingdom?” Dennis chided him.
“I am a hopeful man,” Alexander responded.
“As hopeful as John Jacob Astor as he stepped onto the deck of the Titanic,” Dennis taunted him.
“I don’t understand why I let you talk to me this way. I am after hours till they head of this company.”
“You didn’t hire me because I was a pushover. You need someone like me to talk to the Russians and the Chinese.”
“I could replace you in a heartbeat,” Alexander rebounded.
“You could, sir. Probably will. If you remember, you hired me to tell you the truth when others would find it easier and more profitable for them to lie.”
Another young woman came into the office we can become Alexander’s hair and do apply creams to his scalp and face. The blemishes on his face and neck began to disappear.
“I’m going to find someone to heal this disease, no matter what it costs me.”
“I know. Someone who by touching you will cause these tumours to just disappear.”
“I’ve done the analysis,” Alexander answered. “I believe such an individual exists somewhere and if he or she can be found, I will find them.”
Another young man brought into the offices two different suits, dark blue and a black one. Alexander took a moment to look at them and then chose the black suit.
“I have a red tie in my desk drawer,” Alexander told the young man.
“You really should be in a hospital,” Dr Angleton told him.
“No one needs to know about any of this. I can still run my company.”
“What we should be doing, what all of us should be doing, is shorting stocks on this company before collapses,” Dennis whispered.
“Who is on the appointment list for this morning?” Alexander asked.
“Gilbert Imperioli, The Private investigator you hired is supposed to be here at 10 o’clock with the status report on finding your healer,” Dennis spoke with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.”
“Thank you, Mr Fulccrum,” Alexander responded. Alexander only called him this name when he was offended. “I look forward to his reports.”
Dr Angleton brought two syringes and proceeded to inject Alexander in his right shoulder.
“What are they, Doctor?” Alexander asked.
“They are immune enhancers, straight from lab 179,” he answered.
“What is lab 179?”
“It’s classified,” the doctor responded.
“Is this going to help me?” Alexander asked.
“We will see,” the doctor told him. “I am making every effort to extend your life.”
Alexander remained 45 minutes and by the time he emerged through the double doors into the office where he would receive his visitors, he looked nearly well. This was a routine he had gone through many times, and for a few hours he had the strength to work on his tasks, but he knew he was growing weaker every day. He didn’t know how many more days he had before cancer finally subdued him.
By 10 o’clock, Alexander had finished his preparations and even took five minutes to call a tech company in India called Properension about a new battery technology he was considering installing in his company’s notebook computers.
At 10 minutes after 10, his secretary, Barbara, called him on his telephone to tell him that Gary Impeeioli had arrived.
“Mr Symington, should I send him in?”
“No, I will come out to talk to him.”
Alexander struggled a moment to stand up from his desk and then if only through his will alone, began to walk out of his office into the outer office where Mr Imperioli was waiting.
“Good to see you, Gary,” Alexander greeted him. “I hope you have some good news for me.”
He stretched out his hand and it was trembling slightly.
“This is a paradigm-changing task,” Mr Imperioli answered.
“I know you and your staff of such a task.”
“This is not a task lubricated by flattering words,” Mr Imperioli answered.
“Do you have news for me?”
“Yes, and yes,” he responded.
“Come into the office and show me what you have.”
Gary Imperioli was carrying a black leather briefcase with coloured folders and printed posterboard jutting out of the top of the bag. Alexander stood up with some difficulty and appeared to be light-headed as he walked toward the door of his office.
“No calls for visitors, Barbara, well I speak to Mr Imperioli,” He told his secretary as he walked slowly into his office. Mr Imperioli followed a couple of steps behind him. After he entered the room, Alexander reached out and balanced himself on a Cabinet.
“ “You seem a little weak today,” Mr Imperioli acknowledged. “I hope what I have to tell you brings some encouragement.”
Dennis, who was working in the office, just shook his head. He was not sure that any of this was more than wishful thinking.
Alexander sat down on a chair and bowed his head a moment.
“You don’t look well, Alex. I’m concerned about you.”
“I am still here, Gary. I am still here. I hope you have hope for news for me.”
“Let’s start with the premise that such a special place exists. How do you find it? There are no maps telling us where they are. But it turns out there are places of healing all over the world, hundreds of them in fact. I have a list here if you like to read them.” He pulled some papers out of a stack of papers and showed them to Alexander for a moment. We’ve gone through all of them, 333 specific locations where healings have allegedly occurred. Nothing recently verifiable, except perhaps two sites. One in South Korea and the other in Pennsylvania.” He lifted up another paper. “This site in South Korea has had five recent cases of healings, spontaneous remission of life-threatening diseases.”
Dennis began to smicker a moment and then stopped himself.
“If you have something to say, Dennis, speak your mind. My assistant doesn’t believe in the work you’re doing.”
“You know my position on all this,” Dennis answered. “I think it would be cruel for me to argue about this.”
“I’m interested in what you have to say. Please.” Alexander insisted.
“Ok. If that’s what you want.” He paused a moment to gather his thoughts. “There are always claims in many places about healings and other supernatural phenomena. It’s easy for these stories to circulate. The proof seems hard to find with any of them. It just seems like chasing phantoms.” He paused. “I wouldn’t knock you, Mr Symington. I would do what you are doing in your situation if I had the resources to do so. I just don’t know if I would believe it were possible.”
“What are your immediate plans?” Alexander asked.
“I’m going to South Korea to see what I can find out about the site of after another week. The Pennsylvania site is another matter altogether. How much detail do you want, Alex?”
“In business and in my life, I have found that profound innovation and discovery come unexpectedly, often in places you would never think to look.”
Alexander began to cough softly with greater intensity. He opened a bottle of expensive mineral water and began to drink it ferociously. His cough gradually dissipated.
“They say that DaVinci kept detailed notebooks of his speculations and his ideas for inventions,” Alexander spoke slowly. He paused a moment to breathe deeply and deliberately. “Tesla was another great thinker who kept detailed notebooks of his speculations.”
“Where in Pennsylvania is the site?” Dennis asked.
“It’s in Phillipsburg,” Mr Imperioli answered. “One of my colleagues has already been there. I am going in two days.”
Alexander began to bow his head almost to the tabletop. He was visibly weak. He closed his eyes a few moments and then in a huge lunge threw himself into a sitting position.
“Are you up to going through with this?” Mr Imperioli asked.
“I am focused,” Alexander answered. “I’m completely focused. Please continue.”
We have two pathways of exploration ahead of us. One involves individuals, the other involves places or circumstances. I will explain the circumstances first.”
Mr Imperioli looked at another piece of paper.
“We looked at locations where there was evidence of clusters of inexplicable apparently spontaneous remissions. Hospitals where patients suddenly improved without explanation, well beyond any statistical anomaly or idiosyncrasy. We found this hospital in Phillipsburg Pennsylvania, Mercy Medical Centre where there have been 12 spontaneous remissions among stage four cancer patients. Unfortunately, there have also been unusual patterns of seizures among varied patients. We don’t know if there is a connection between both of these circumstances. We also found at the same hospital an additional 13 patients with seizures of unknown aetiology. The last occurrence was a young 11-year-old boy from White Plains New York named Jonathan Margolis.” He paused. “I have personally spoken to six of the doctors myself including the attending doctor who took care of this boy.”
“What does any of this have to do with finding a healer?” Dennis asked sceptically.
“It could be everything and it could be nothing,” Mr Imperioli answered. “We are just trying to layout avenues of exploration. You first have to open the door to step into the matrix.”
Alexander asked him bluntly, “Do you have someplace or someone today where I can go and be healed?”
“Not conclusively yet. But we do have leads.” He paused. “I am going to Phillipsburg myself to see what I can find there. We are all very hopeful,” Gary Imperioli assured him.
“You’re not playing me for financial gain, are you, Gary?” Alexander asked.
“Never, Alex. If there is an avenue, I will find it.” He was surprised at the bluntness of the question. But everyone knew that Alexander Symington was a brutally honest interlocutor. Mr Imperioli knew Alexander didn’t have time to be otherwise.
“How many of your people do you have working on this seemingly impossible task?” Alexander asked.
“12 people as I told you when we started this, I will find someone to help you.”
Dennis was annoyed because he believed Mr Imperioli was simply taking his boss’s money.
