| Generated by Google Flow text-to-video AI software, powered by Veo 3 |
It’s true, I was Mr. Tipton’s very first patient, though no one used that term
at the time. My company suffered a major blow when the truth came out that I
was suffering from a terminal disease. Stock prices plummeted, and the board
was worried that we would ultimately have to shut down. I wasn’t desperate,
though. I was never desperate. I designed my company to operate without me,
and I’ve never thought of it as being my responsibility, and mine alone. The
market failed to understand my vision for a collaborative future, but they
would have come to know the truth in time, and the company would have bounced
back. Still. It’s not like I wanted to die. I spoke with all the
experts, and tried all the reasonable experimental treatments. Nothing was
working, but I’m an old man, and we all die eventually. I was understandably
skeptical when these two young men approached me with the claim that they
could cure me for good. But I listened to them, because I was intrigued, and I
didn’t think it would do any harm. After a brief demonstration that involved
Mr. Tipton’s associate stabbing himself in the arm, they only asked for $5,000
as a sort of down payment. Clearly, either they were master magicians, or it
was true that Mr. Tipton could heal people, but he didn’t want to ask for all
the money up front. Not to brag, but $5,000 was nothing to me. I decided that
if this was all just some big scam, then these two deserved to be paid for
being able to fool me, so I gladly paid it. They said, once my medical
professionals proved that I was entirely disease-free, I could pay the
remaining $10 million. I ended up giving them 15. Since it turned out to not
be a scam at all, I felt like they definitely deserved the money. Compared to
dying in a few months, I call that a bargain. Many believe that I am a silent
partner in the Foundation, but I had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t investing
in their future; it was just a straight payment. What they did with the money
was none of my business. I’m pleased with their choice. They could have just
as easily shot through to a beach resort, and gave the rest of us the middle
finger, but they stuck around, and put in the hard work. So many more have
benefited the way that I have, and even more will, if rumors of the panacea
are even vaguely accurate. I’m proud to call myself the very first patient.
That’s something that will always make me special. When I do finally leave
this planet, my legacy will outlive me, thanks to one boy’s choice to include
me in the very early days of his incredibly ambitious plan to heal the whole
world.
