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Sharon Moalem
Gordon is a long-distance runner with hemochromatosis (an inherited disease in which the body stores too much iron). In 1997, as Gordon trains for the Marathon des Sables, a 150-mile race across the Sahara Desert, he starts to experience joint pain and heart problems. He goes to several doctors, who are unable to explain his symptoms or who misdiagnose him. After three years, they finally discover that Gordon has hemochromatosis. Gordon is given five years to live if he does not treat the condition. He starts giving blood—the treatment of choice for hemochromatosis—and he goes on to run the Marathon des Sables twice. Gordon’s story illustrates how an increased understanding of how iron functions in the body proved tangibly beneficial for people with hemochromatosis, and it also shows that previously-dismissed treatments for the condition (like bloodletting) may have actually been beneficial.
Aran Gordon Quotes in Survival of the Sickest
The Survival of the Sickest quotes below are all either spoken by Aran Gordon or refer to Aran Gordon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
Today, we know that Aran suffered the effects of the most common genetic disorder in people of European descent—hemochromatosis, a disorder that may very well have helped his ancestors to survive the plague.
Today, Aran’s health has been restored through bloodletting, one of the oldest medical practices on earth.
Today, we understand much more about the complex interrelationship of our bodies, iron, infection, and conditions like hemochromatosis and anemia.
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Survival of the Sickest LitChart as a printable PDF.
Aran Gordon Character Timeline in Survival of the Sickest
The timeline below shows where the character Aran Gordon appears in Survival of the Sickest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Ironing It Out
In 1997, Aran Gordon , a top financial executive and marathon runner, began to train for the Marathon des...
(full context)
It took Aran Gordon three years to learn that he had hemochromatosis. He was told that untreated, he would...
(full context)
