The Medical Researcher Story

                                            The Medical Researcher Story

                                                                                     1983

                                                                          Written in 2016

                                                                           Howard Yasgar

                                 A true story that happened when we attended Mardi Gras in 1983. 

It was Mardi Gras time 1983, so my wife and I decided to head to New Orleans. 

After several calls we found a room at the le Richelieu hotel located on Chartres Street, a nicer place you could never find. 

Once we were there, we checked the parade schedule and found that there was one slated to come down Canal Street that very evening.

So about two hours before parade time we walked down to Canal Street hoping to find a good spot along the parade route, I hoped to find a place where I could catch some of the colorful beaded necklaces that they threw from the parade floats.

That evening, even though we were two hours early, the crowds had already started lining the streets, and in some places they were already lined up 6 or 7 people deep, and that was for the entire length of the parade route. 

Eventually we found a spot and we edged our way in, we did it until we had only one or two people in front of us.

As the parade eventually started coming by, I noticed there was a fellow standing next to me, he was standing on a small plastic cooler, the height of the cooler made it easier for him to catch the necklaces that were being tossed to the crowds. 

When the passing floats slowed down and several of the marching bands started going by, the fellow  got off the cooler and opened it up. He took out a pint size cold bottle of Southern Comfort,  and took a few slugs from it.

As he put the bottle back, I looked him over, he appeared to be a pretty presentable and normal looking guy about 30 years old. 

I could see he was already a bit tipsy, but  I thought he was a pretty smart guy to have brought a cooler to stand on, so I complemented him on it, and then we started talking. 

He said that he was from Chicago, and he was going to be in New Orleans for a couple of weeks.

So to make conversation, I asked him what he did for a living in Chicago.

He said that he worked in a laboratory as a research chemist.

I said you are fortunate to have a job that lets you come to New Orleans for two weeks. Yes he said I’m very fortunate it’s a good job, they pay me while I am here, I come to Mardi Gras every year. I have been with them  for several years.

I was curious, as to what the hell a young guy who was a research chemist does, as I have always liked to fool around with chemistry projects myself.

So I asked him what he was researching?

He said he was working for a government funded company that was researching for a cure for cancer.

I had to stop and think for a second, then I said, what happens if you find a cure, does that mean you are out of a job, and won’t be able to come to Mardi Gras?

He stepped  back up on the cooler and he looked at me sort of like I was an idiot, and with a wide smile, he said, I don’t  think you ever have to worry about that.  

I took that to mean, he wasn’t worried, because his company had no intention of ever finding a cure.

But, I have to admit it got me to thinking about how many companies are paid by our government to find a cure but they never seem to find one. 

I bet there are hundreds of them, they are all taking part in the same scam of supposedly seeking a cure.

That conversation was back in 1983 and I bet he is still  getting paid to go to Mardi Gras, and who knows perhaps the fellow we met  is the president of the research company by now.  

My opinion is,  perhaps the government should put term limits on all the cancer cure research companies, 4 years and no cure and the money stop, what do you think?