Some time ago, what began as a “slight fever” from a common cold ended up causing far more damage than I had expected.

When I am healthy, everything seems perfectly normal.

But once a single gear falls out of place, it appears to take a very long time before everything settles again.

The lymph node that had been removed for examination during surgery became swollen, and the surrounding area became inflamed.

Ironically, it turned out to be more troublesome than the surgical wound itself.

At a recent follow-up appointment, I mentioned this to my doctor.

I was referred to the hematology department, where further examinations were arranged.

According to the hematologist, I had developed antibodies against the virus that caused the fever during my first hospitalization.

And yet, for some reason, the viral count itself had not decreased.

“A very rare case,” he said.

Which meant even more tests.

In this situation, being “a very rare case” is not particularly welcome.

It feels strangely human to hope that, at least when it comes to illness, I might remain comfortably average.

Even though there was a time when I wanted nothing more than to be someone extraordinary.