"Bubble Boy" 40 years later: Look back at heartbreaking case

What's it like to live in a bubble? For some, this means living a sheltered life. But David Vetter, a young boy from Texas, lived out in the real world - in a plastic bubble. Nicknamed "Bubble Boy," David was born in 1971 with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), and was forced to live in a specially constructed sterile plastic bubble from birth until he died at age 12.

Today marks what would have been David's 40th birthday. Now, kids with SCID lead normal lives, thanks to therapy made possible in part by David's own blood cells. A recent report showed that 14 of the 16 children who received this experimental therapy nine years ago are now living full lives.

But what was life like for "Bubble Boy"? Keep clicking to look back at David's heartbreaking story, put together here with the help of Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, and PBS documentary, "The Boy in the Bubble"...

Credit: Baylor College of Medicine Photo Archives