Ask Ms. Jessica Issue 42 – Negative Mutations (Patreon)

(The content for Ask Ms. Jessica comes from real questions from real people sent to AskMsJessica@gmail.com)

Dear Ms. Jessica.

Your last post about trying to prevent or remove mutations made me think about a question that might not be pleasant for you to answer. So, you have every right to not answer if you don’t want to.

Have there ever been any naturally occurring mutations that effected the subject’s life in a negative way? Ones that weren’t triggered by an effort to prevent or remove mutations?

For example, I heard rumours about a mutant who used to be a professional football player, but then lost all four of her limbs when her mutant gene kicked in, effectively ending her career. I don’t know if it’s true or not. I can’t even give you the name of the athlete in question. But have there been any mutations that did similar things or worse to people’s lives? And if so, how often do they happen?

And since I was also asked to ask on a friend’s behalf, have there ever been life threatening mutations that occurred naturally?

Well whether or not a mutation is beneficial is really in the eye of the beholder. The current theory is that there are no mutations that are not biologically beneficial, but what is biologically beneficial is not the same as what is personally beneficial to someone’s life.

I’m familiar with that football player you are talking about, Alexandria Rodrigo right? Yes, she was a star player, and she eventually lost all four limbs in her mutation. It wrecked her, but that wasn’t the end of the story. After several years in physical therapy she decided to take back to the field, this time as a goalie. You know what she found? She was able to extend parts of her body like clay. Her neck, her tongue, her butt cheeks and breasts. She can explode them like pistons allowing her to reach any area of the goal within seconds. While, yes, her career as a striker is over, her career as a goalie has catapulted her to new heights of popularity.

Does this mean that her mutation was made for her football career? No, of course not. However, from a biological standpoint, she was healthier after her mutation. She aged at a slower rate, had better circulation, stronger muscles. Biology only cares about mutations in a “survival of the fittest” sort of way. It only cares if your mutation is more beneficial to your body, not necessarily more beneficial to your career or personal life.

So how did she succeed? Simple: willpower. Having a different body doesn’t mean you have less. We have been saying that about differently abled people for ages, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t say it about mutants as well. She wanted to play football, so she did, even without arms and legs. She found a way to make it work with her mutation.

In short, your mutation only hinders your life if you let it. With therapy and guidance, any mutation can be a blessing.

Dr. Jessica Park

AskMsJessica@gmail.com