23

The contestants were a somber bunch at dinner. Under the watchful eyes of the cameras, nobody talked about their afternoon sessions in the cross-examination room. From the looks on their faces, the others had endured interrogations every bit as tough as Finney’s. Even the Swami wasn’t his normal vivacious self as he and Finney shared a table with Kareem.

As the food was served—custom orders the men had submitted earlier—the discussion turned to their medical challenges. It shocked Finney to learn that the Swami suffered from acute Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a disease that attacked the lymph nodes and, in the Swami’s case, other nearby organs. He was in stage IVA, meaning that the disease had led to widespread tumors in the lungs, liver, and bones. But the Swami hadn’t experienced the fever, exaggerated sweating, and weight loss that afflicted some patients.

Finney was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that a guy with as much energy as the Swami could have a terminal illness. “You seem so healthy,” Finney said.

“That’s because I’m using a holistic approach to treatment,” the Swami said. “I’m not injecting chemo poisons into my body. Plus, I’m only eating natural foods, no preservatives, and I’m on an herbal regimen.”

Finney had noticed that the Swami ate some weird stuff. Now he knew why. He suddenly felt self-conscious about his own burger and fries selection.

“What parts of your body did you say were affected?” Kareem asked, making the not-so-subtle point that he was unimpressed with the Swami’s regimen.

“Basically everywhere,” the Swami said, not even trying to put a good face on it.

“I’m not doing chemo anymore, either,” Finney said. “Once the liver’s involved, it’s just a matter of time. Might as well feel good.”

They took a few bites in silence before Kareem broke in. “That’s not necessarily true,” he said.

“What isn’t?” Finney asked.

“That when the liver’s involved, it’s just a matter of time.”

“Could have fooled me,” Finney said.

Kareem set down his fork. This subject didn’t do much for a guy’s appetite. “I took an antidepressant drug named Serzone,” Kareem said. “I didn’t notice at the time, but it had a black-box warning on the side listing several potential side effects, including liver failure. About a month ago, I got a call from some big plaintiffs firm that is filing a class-action lawsuit, and I went in to get tested.”

Kareem frowned at the table, recalling the moment. “Because I’m otherwise pretty healthy, I’m now on a list of possible transplant recipients, though younger patients have priority.”

Finney just shook his head—what do you say? “I hope you get one,” he managed. “I’ll trade you mine if you’re interested.”

“I’ll pass, Judge.”

“You need to change your diet,” the Swami suggested, looking at the slab of meat on Kareem’s plate. “I could hook you up.”

“Right,” Kareem said. “That way it can spread to my bones and lungs as well.”

“Did you know you had anything wrong before you got tested?” Finney asked.

“Not really. I didn’t have much of an appetite and got a little jaundiced, but that’s about it. Since then, I’ve noticed some yellowing in my eyes.”

Finney looked but couldn’t see anything like that.

“You ever try green tea extracts?” the Swami asked.