David Phillip Vetter (September 21, 1971 – February 22, 1984) was an American who was a prominent sufferer of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a hereditary disease which dramatically weakens the immune system. Individuals born with SCID are abnormally susceptible to infections, and exposure to typically innocuous pathogens can be fatal. Vetter was referred to as "David, the bubble boy" by the media, as a reference to the complex containment system used as part of the management of his SCID. Vetter's surname was not revealed to the general public until 10 years after his death in order to preserve his family's privacy. In his first years of life he lived mostly at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. As he grew older, he lived increasingly at home with his parents and older sister Katherine in Dobbin, Texas. He died in 1984, at the age of 12. Family and birth Vetter's parents were Carol Ann Vetter and David Joseph Vetter, Jr. Their first son, David Joseph Vetter III, was also born with SCID and died at seven months old. Physicians advised the Vetters that any future male children they might conceive would have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. At the time, the only management available for children born with SCID was isolation in a sterile environment until a successful bone-marrow transplant could be performed. The Vetters, who had a daughter, decided to proceed with another pregnancy. Their third child, David Phillip Vetter, was born on September 21, 1971. A special sterilized cocoon bed was prepared for Vetter at his birth. Immediately after being removed from his mother's uterus, Vetter entered the plastic germ-free environment that would be his home for most of his life. Vetter was baptized a Roman Catholic with sterilized holy water once he had entered the bubble. Initial plans to proceed with a bone-marrow transplant came to a halt after it was determined that the prospective donor, Vetter's sister Katherine, was not a match. Life in the bubble Water, air, food, diapers, and clothes were sterilized before they could enter the sterile chamber. Items were placed in a chamber filled with ethylene oxide gas for four hours at 60 degrees Celsius (140º F), then aerated for a period of one to seven days before being placed in the sterile chamber. After he was placed in the sterile chamber, Vetter was touched only through special plastic gloves attached